Man and Machine
by Sierra114
Summary: This series will delve into a Spartan's innermost thoughts with an emphasis on realistic combat. WARNING: Graphic Combat and Language. Some sexual themes. Reader discretion is advised. The series is a WIP. I'd recommend favoriting and following it if you want to see the updates. Reviews are welcome and encouraged as well!
1. Chapter 1

I open my eyes. I'm in a beautiful field in the hills. It feels like home. Is it Earth? I look to my left and see the beginnings of a dirt trail in a wooded area, and in front of me I see a white, old farmhouse with a windmill beside it. I feel a warm sensation on my hand, and look to my right. I see a girl. She has her right hand on mine, and she's looking right at me. I know she's beautiful; that she's perfection, but...I can't quite see her face. And I can't see face.

I woke up to the familiar gray of my room. Yes, that is MY room. _One of the perks of being a SPARTAN I guess. I think if it weren't for being freakishly tall though, they'd group me with the rest of the ground-pounders,_ I thought. My gray room belonged to the UNSC _Vienna_ , a _Marathon_ -class heavy cruiser. I turned my head to see the rest of my room. A blue light flickered on a pedestal across from my face.

"Miss me yet?" The voice is calming, yet authoritative. Female. A small, blue body appears at the bottom of a metal pedestal. She's looking at me; smiling, with her head cocked to one side. Locks of light-colored hair fall upon a a t-shirt that's just a little bit too short, exposing her holographic flat midriff. Jeans and sneakers complete her look. Her face is; though I'd never admit to finding an AI attractive, attractive. I guess it would be what would happen if you crossed the "girl next door" look with that of a model. I rolled my eyes.

"Ugh, what do I have to do now? I had looked forward to sleeping in today. No AIs telling me what to do was a part of that."

"Captain wants you on the bridge," she replied. "He says it's important, and that you're to go _straight_ to him...Sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news." The smile faded from her face and she looked down at the ground, arms crossed. I got up and sat down on my bed, which was really just a large, ovular hole in the wall with a mattress and blanket. I dragged my hand on my face, hoping that it would take away some of the sleepiness. It didn't.

"It's fine Jennifer. I was just kind of enjoying that dream, that's all", as I made a warm smile to her.

"Is that the same one as last night?", she replied. "You seem to have it more and more frequently, Jake."

"Yes, it was...Well, it doesn't matter now. Tell the captain I'll be there in 30 minutes." I smirk and raise an eyebrow. "Now off with you, I have to change. A guy has to have _some_ semblance of privacy around women, even if they are AI constructs."

"See you on the bridge", she replied cheerfully. The light contracted and vanished.

 _It's a weird relationship I have with this one_ , I thought to myself. _Sure, you were always close to Deja, but it was different_. _She was more of a teacher and mentor than a friend._ Something different than the other SPARTANS though, was that she was never really my surrogate mother. Neither was Dr. Halsey. Unlike the others (or most of the others, they often were very selective with displays of their feelings) I still remembered my childhood. Before being put into the SPARTAN program. I felt a bit nostalgic as I put on my BDU pants, as my mind was in another place. For me, home was a small farm in Pennsylvania, but curiously not the one from my dream. My father died fighting the Innies on a combat deployment just after I was born. My mother was a sweet women, and I owe my most core principles to her. I remembered my full name as well. Jacob Edwin Doyle.

 _Yes, it's a bit odd how close we've got_ , I thought as I finished zippering up my gray BDU top. Instead of being marked "Doyle", as a normal Marine's would have, it was just labeled "S-114". I thought it was especially how odd it's been considering how long I've been on the _Vienna_. Only a month and a week now, starting today. There have been nights we talk, just her and I. Usually before bed, with the lights out and alone in my room. We'd talk about anything really, the war, humanity, our dreams and aspirations, or just how the day went. I tied my black combat boots and walked out the door. _It's just unexpected I guess, although I am a bit women hungry. I mean sure, I have normal friends, unlike most SPARTANs, but nobody to hold and call my own. Who would even want to be with me anyways? I'm 7 foot, freakishly tall. Nobody except women who would fetishize me would want me. What would happen if I even tried to have sex anyways? Would the physical force of me kill her? Thanks for ruining my chances with women, ONI. I guess being a super-soldier is worth it though, along with the reduced aging thing._ I try to convince myself that every day. Usually it works, but some days, especially days like today, it doesn't work out so well.

I walked by one of the Marine barracks and saw a familiar face. "Hey, Jake! How ya doin'?" a lanky, bald young Marine says to me. He's tall, but I still tower a full foot above him. Pulowski's his name. Good kid, just got out of basic. That being said, it didn't take a physicist to understand why he looks up to me.

"Doing fine, well all without waking up early on my off day. Skipper wants me up to the bridge for some important shit, don't know what. You know how it is; first to go, last to know," I say jokingly.

"Fuck man, that sucks. I have something to cheer you up though. A token of appreciation for converting my 5B to the 5C we just got in port last week. You know, they say they're even more reliable than the 5Bs." He tosses me a Coke, an actual one in the can. A rare sight on spacefaring vessels, he knows I prefer the metallic taste of the can. I effortlessly catch the can and reply. "Thanks. Anytime you need help with something, just hit me up. So far from my range and sim time, I'm really liking the 5C. Shame about the 60 rounders though. I get why they got rid of them, but fuckin' REMFs always think they know what's best for us boots. Anyways, I gotta go or the Cap will have my augmented neck. See ya". He waves and heads back into his barracks. I passed through an automatic door and go into an elevator. A few minutes later, and I reached the con.


	2. Chapter 2

The bridge was surprisingly calm and quiet. Despite being on the ship for a month and a half, it was only my second time on the helm. The first was when I was first assigned to the _Vienna_ , when we were attempting to make it to Reach. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately from the reports I got), we didn't make it in time. A man dressed in a white uniform was overlooking the expanses of space. Besides him was Jennifer on the bridge's holographic projector. The faint smell of cigar smoke got stronger as I approached him. "Sir!" I said as I rigidly saluted him. _I wonder if he ever feels belittled to be saluted_ down _to._

"Ah, Petty Officer First Class, it's good you showed up", he said as he turned around to face me. He's a man of average stature, with a slim gray beard with a pinch of black, and a gray high-and-tight haircut. Captain Antonio Rodriguez, aged 52. His file told me about his storied career, and I came to understand and respect him. Compared to his contemporaries, he was captain of a Marathon-class at a record age. I'm sure he prided himself on it. He took the cigar out of his mouth and blew a puff of smoke to the side.

"At ease, Spartan. Yes, I have an assignment for you. Don't worry though, I think you'll enjoy it. And it's optional, but I have a feeling you'll take it." He gave me a sort of smug expression. I relaxed and looked over to Jennifer. She gave me a warm smile. I couldn't help but return the favor, and I looked back at the Captain.

"Well, now you have my attention sir. What is it?"

"Well, as you know, it's in 3 weeks it'll be Chrismas. I've got a group of ODSTs and Marines setting up decorations in Mess Hall A. I plan on having a Christmas Party, the troops could use the morale boost after Reach. Anyways, it's a surprise. I've classified it top-secret. You're not to tell a soul about it outside of those involved. Normally I would have just had a message relayed to you, but the secrecy of the matter warranted the face to face meeting...Well, you should be on your way Petty Officer. They're expecting you." I laughed and replied: "Yes sir, and thank you. Christmas is my favorite holiday after all." I saluted him and walked off with a smile on my face and a perk in my step.

. . .

I reached the mess about ten minutes later. It was huge, about a quarter the size of a football field. Around it, around 15 other troopers in BDUs were milling about, putting up decorations and lights. A Christmas tree draped with ornaments stood in the far right corner. A friend of mine turned around from putting up lights and saw me.

"Ayyy, looked who finally decided to show up and give us little guys some help, eh?" He says loudly. The rest of the room turns around and wave or nod to me. I wave back. He gets off his ladder and briskly walks towards me. He outstretches his hand, and I shake it. He gives me a solid pat on my shoulder. "How the fuck you doin' slick? Here I was thinking that we weren't going to be getting any reinforcements."

"Good to see you too, Barnes. And yeah, the Captain interrupted my sleep-in to tell me to report to you guys. So you have his good graces to thank for this. Although persoally I don't think I could let you helljumpers get _all_ the credit," I said with a smile and a wink.

"Yeah, just once I'd like us ODSTs get all the credit instead of you 7 foot tall killin' machines. Well, Pulowksi needs help putting ornaments on the tree. I would recommend getting a ladder, but I don't think you're gonna need it."

"Yes sir, lieutenant sir." I said to him jokingly.

"For fucks sake, Jake. You know I hate it when you address me as a superior officer. It's not like you've been in the service longer than I have or anything." He'd never admit it, but I could sense he deeply respected me, despite the facade of friendly competition between us.

"Alright, whatever you say Barnes. By the way, do we have some extra decorations? I have a pet project in mind."

"Sure slick, anything we got at the end of the day is yours for the keeping. Just return whatever you don't use to Brian at Quartermaster B. You know how they get when shit goes missing."

"See you around Jim."

"See you." I then made my way to the kid.

"Need help Marine?" He looked down to me as he put ornaments near the top of the tree. "Yeah, that'd be great Jake. Mind passing me some of the ornaments in that box by you?"

"Sure thing, but are you sure you don't want the guy who _doesn't_ need the ladder to do the work?" I said to him.

"Hey man, be my guest" he sayed as he stepped down off the ladder. I moved the ladder aside, and Pulowski began handing me ornaments. A few normal ones, snowmen, painted spheres, and a few novelty ones. He passed me a miniature Warthog, and I chuckled a bit to myself. The smell of pine filled me nose.

"You know," I said to him "one of my favorite parts of my childhood was Christmas time. We had a real tree just like this one, maybe a bit smaller, but that's all that we could fit in our living room. I distinctly remember my last Christmas. It was the best I ever had. I had wanted one of those RC Warthogs, but, they were all sold out by the time I made my wish list. I remember a woman, who had taken a keen amount if interest in me starting about a year earlier, attended the little Christmas celebration my mother and I had. The next morning, I got up early and went to our tree. I saw a large box under it and when I undid the wrapping, there it was. A deluxe model Warthog no less, with the animatronic Marines. I still don't know how Dr. Halsey got it, but that moment was the happiest in my life. Being around my mother, the snow, the gift...That day was the best day in my life, now that I think about it". I looked at the ground, and a sad smile appeared on my face. I always was a bit nostalgic.

I stayed that way for a few seconds, lost in my thoughts, until I heard Pulowski speak up. "Was it your choice to go?"

"Yes. I was selected for the program because I fit the genetic template, but at the end of the day it was my choice." I lied.

"...I always wondered how Spartans grew up. I didn't know if they were clones or orphans or something else. When I was a kid, I always wanted to pretend to be a SPARTAN."

"And I always wanted to be a Marine. Maybe in another life bro." I laughed, but it was forced. "You know, had I told you that story fifteen years ago, it would have been classified information. I'm glad they declassified our existence" That being said, I still held a lot resentment towards ONI for basically treating me as a guinea pig and then controlling me. Hate may have even been the correct word to use. But, to me, it was validated. They robbed me of a childhood, of the chance to find love. Still, I was thankful to them in one sense. I thanked them for putting me in the situation that I was as a soldier. Casualty rates for humanity were at 50%, including civilians. I was always glad that being a SPARTAN-II gave me a greatly increased chance of survival. Whats more, I was damn glad to be able to protect people like I did. Marines, Army, Navy, civilians; it didn't matter. I felt a sense of protection over all people. Like being a soldier wasn't my job, protecting humanity was.

About 20 minutes later, Pulowski and I finished up on the Christmas tree. A bright star topped it, and I was admittedly a bit proud to be able to put it on without a ladder. The room was finished, and it looked great. Holiday lights covered the ceiling, and in the corner was our magnificent Christmas tree. I even saw a bit of mistletoe.

"Well, that's it then," he said to me. "It looks nice, right?"

"Yeah. I think the skipper will be in for a nice surprise when he sees our handiwork," I replied. "I've got to go man, I have to work out and shit. Thanks for the spare lights, Say, do we have a spare tree?" Pulowski gave me a curious look.

"Yeah, we have a fake one that we didn't need to use. It should be under one of the tables. What do ya need it for?"

"Just a personal project. Nothing special. I'll see you tomorrow, bro." I said goodbye to everyone, dropped off the lights and tree at my room, and began my daily routine.

. . .

10 hours later and I was back in my room. It had been a tiring day. Working out, range time, and time in the sim had worn me out. I sat down on my bed and took off my boots. _Damn that felt good_. I changed into my underwear and put my head on my pillow when a familiar blue light appeared.

"Hey," said Jennifer. "Do you have a minute? I feel like talking tonight."

"Sure, what's on your mind?" She looked down and put her hand on her arm, then looked up. "What do you think you'd like to do with your life? After the war I mean."

"I don't know, Jenn, I've been a soldier all my life." I thought about it for a moment. "I think I'd like to be a teacher, especially history." A few more seconds passed. I knew I couldn't ask her the same question, being an AI, but to my surprise I got a response.

"I think I'd like to be...human. Or to able to experience things at least. I want to experience the feeling of the sun on my face, and the joy of a Christmas celebration...Love too. That more than anything, Jake." She sighed. I felt something strange deep in my heart, and my stomach tingle.

"I know how you feel", I told her. "You know, we're not so different you and I, in that regard. Not being able to love or be loved; me being a cyborg and you being an AI. I guess being more machine than man isn't all it's cracked up to be, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess we're two of kin." It sounded like she was choking up a bit. "Joined by our misery and our want for love, huh Jake?"

"We lonely two, I guess we'd make a good pair then," I said. My heart was pounding, and I didn't know why.

"Thanks for talking to me Jake, I guess I just needed to get that off my chest. Goodnight." "Wait-" I said, but it was too late. She gave me a sad smile and disappeared. "Fuck", I whispered to myself. I had a hard time falling asleep that night.

. . .

I had just finished showering after my routine at 1800 when I heard the Captain's voice over the loudspeaker. "This is the captain speaking. All nonessential personnel, please report to Mess Hall A on the double. Thank you." I gave a smug smile to myself and put my BDUs on. This was going to be good.

I was one of the last to arrive, and when I entered the Captain gave me a nod. The rest of the stragglers came in and the Captain began his speech. "So, today we celebrate Christmas as you all know. But, I think we celebrate something more than that. We celebrate what makes us human; our traditions, our loved ones, and our beliefs. I don't care if you're an atheist, Christian, Jew, or Hindu. I think we can all agree that these are principles worth sharing. Principles worth preserving. So, in accustom with tradition, I've decided to throw a Christmas party for all of you here. Each and every one of you is vital to the conduct of this ship, and I don't know how I would do it with each and every one of you. God bless all of you, and Merry Christmas." Two hundred pairs of hands began to clap, and the room was filled with thunderous applause. Then the party started. Beers were being passed around. I made a bet with Barnes over who could drink more. I knew I would win, being an alcohol-resistant SPARTAN. _100 easy credits_ I thought to myself. A few hours later, and he was absolutely shitfaced. I felt nothing. I saw a few of his squadmates carry him back to his barracks. The party was starting die down, and I said goodbye to the group of people I had been talking with that night. It was a great night. And it was about to get even better.

I had finished setting up the lights in my room early in the morning, and I ate lunch while I put together the tree and the few ornaments that were left over. I started playing Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" on my audio system as I pressed a button on the pedestal.

"Oh, Jennifer, I have something to show you," I said brightly. The light flickered and she appeared.

"What is it?" she asked, giving me a quizzical look. I stepped back and stretched my arms out to show her my festive display. She turned and gasped, and put a hand over her mouth.

"How did you-"

"I knew you would enjoy it from all the times we've talked. I knew you wanted to experience something Christmas related, but couldn't because of being of this being only one of three projectors in the ship. So, this is my gift to you. Merry Christmas Jenn."

She gave me a look; I'm not really sure how to describe it. There was a kind of glow in her eyes. I could see a holographic tear rolling down her cheek.

"I-I don't know how to thank you Jake. This is the best day of my life." I smiled at her. I felt a certain notion in that moment; an attachment that I'd never felt before in my life. The thought of love entered my mind, but I quickly dismissed it as impossible. We talked for hours that night: about my last childhood Christmas, about what she envisioned as the perfect Christmas, and about each other's day. I began to fall asleep. My last memory of the night was her turning off the lights, and sweetly saying. "Goodnight".


	3. Chapter 3

Something woke me up. I felt the ship shake. Suddenly, warning lights began to bathe my room in orange light, and the sound of the attack alarm went off. "Shit!" I exclaimed. I ran over to the pedestal and turned it on.

"Jennifer, what the fuck is going on?!" The AI glimmered and appeared before me.

"We're under attack by the Covenant! Captain wants you to armor up and get to the bridge as quickly as you can."

"Alright," I replied, "Tell the skipper I'll be up in 15. See you on the bridge!" I yelled as I ran out of the room. Being dressed only in the standard issue grey t-shirt and underwear probably wasn't the most flattering thing, but the situation demanded for not a single wasted second. I ran down the hall and took a left to the armory containing my weapons and armor. The trip didn't even take me a minute. The armorers already had my suit ready to be applied to me.

My armor was the civilian outsourced version of the Mark V. I heard some other SPARTANs that had gone back to Earth had gotten the newest Mark VI, but unfortunately I didn't have that luxury. I had colored it blue, my favorite. Camouflage didn't matter as, being one of the infiltration specialists of the program, I had been given a next-gen cloaking device. It was reversed engineered directly from a prototype Covenant system, or so they told me. I had a knife sheathed blade-up on my left shoulder plate, and had a datapad on my left forearm. Pouches covered the majority of my chest, and a hard case on my left side completed the suit. The techs finished putting on the last bits of my armor and a scrawny woman handed me my up-armored helmet. It seemed to put her under a decent amount of strain, but I took it as though it was weightless.

As the HUD booted up, I went to retrieve my weaponry. My personalized M392 DMR was suppressed and had a grippod on it. I loaded up the respective pouches with the 20 round L-mags, and put the rifle on my back. Next was my pistol: the M6C SOCOM, integrally suppressed variant. I usually went for the extended 20 round mags, and loaded one in the pistol and pulled the slide back. The weight of the slide made a satisfying sound, which combined with it's size made it fairly obvious why the Helljumpers called it the "Automag". I holstered it on my suit and went on my way to the bridge; the HUD guiding me to the most direct route.

The ride on my way up to the con was a nightmare. I'd seen more than my fair share of battles, but this seemed a bit more chaotic then usual. I rode up with a team of ODSTs and crewmembers, who I assumed were taking their places on the bridge. One of the ODSTs nodded to me, but under his helmet I couldn't tell who it was. Assuming it was Barnes, and not wanting to be rude, I gave him a quick nod back. I saw various scenes on my way up, none of them welcoming. Marines and ODSTs falling into formation, and Pelicans being prepped for flight. The last one was the most disturbing. _Is Rodriguez considering abandoning the_ Vienna?" I thought. Suddenly, a loud, hollow sound rang out. The MAC gun. The other troops around me started cheering, and a smile came on my face. It meant we were actually giving them a good fight, and that we weren't going to go down without bringing more than a few with us. But, just as quickly as it came, the smile faded as I was reminded of the reality of the situation. Shortly after, we went up to bridge.  
I made my way through the bustle and found the captain and Jenn looking at TAC-Glass. It seemed as though there was 3 marks other than our own. A lush, blue and green planet was in front of the bridge's viewport.

"Captain!" I said, saluting him as I had earlier.

"At ease, Spartan. As you can see. We're got quite a bit of mess on our hands here."

"What's the situation, sir?"

"Well, we entered out of slipspace to meet with a resupply ship, the _Pickett's Charge_. It seems our alien friends beat us to it, and three _CCS_ -classers were lying in wait for something bigger. That something, as you can imagine, was us. Thankfully we approached them bow-first and I managed to obliterate one with our MAC. We'll probably be able to eliminate the second with the MAC as well, but the third will most likely land troops aboard the _Vienna_. I want you to lead a group of Marines and repel these Covenant sons of bitches off my ship. As a precaution under the Cole Protocol, I'm going to send Jennifer here with you. She's already given me all I need to finish the rest of the cruisers off, so don't fret about me. Dismissed soldier." He turned to the AI.

"Jennifer, prepare for transfer to Sierra One-One-Four." After a moment, she replied: "All right, yank me." The AI chip extended out of the console, and I put it in the back of my helmet. I turned around to leave but not before the Captain gave me some final words. "Godspeed Petty Officer, and good luck."

"And to you too sir," I replied and left the con.

Jennifer gave me a waypoint to my Marine detachment. "So, what planet are we above exactly?" I inquired of her.

"Charon II," was her reply. "It's a mining planet. We get 10 percent of our titanium alone from it." I wondered how the Covenant found the _Charge_. I doubt it had come out of battle, being a supply ship. _So how did they find it?_ I thought to myself. _Was it just blind luck; a random jump? This war has been truly unlucky for us, honestly. I can count our victories on two hands. Hell, they'd probably find Earth through a random jump knowing our luck._ As I finished that thought, I arrived to a squad of Marines. I saw a few familiar faces, Pulowski being one of them.

"Hey, look who they assigned to us!" he said to his fellow Marines. "I told you we'd stand a chance against the Covvies!" He turned to me, and lowered his voice a bit. "If even half of the stories are true, I think we'll be fine."

"He's right Leathernecks," I said to the group. "Our orders are to repulse the Covenant, and I have full faith that we will execute these orders with extreme prejudice. I believe in each and every one of you, and I look forward to seeing you all after this ordeal. Drinks will be on me, Marines." I saw a flicker of hope in the eyes of the troops. Some cheered. I knew it was a bit hopeful, but I've seen how much harder troops fight when they have something to believe in. I took the suppressor off my DMR and put it on the small of my back. I wouldn't need it in the tight confines of the hip. I racked the bolt on my rifle and exclaimed: "On me Marines! We're moving out to Subsection Echo. Let's move it out!" I took point, and the Marines followed.

In my command I had a basic on-board sanitation unit. 5 marines with MA5C assault rifles, 3 with M7 SMGs, a Marine with an M247 GPMG, and one with the M90 CAWS. They all carried two frag grenades, while I had four. We ran to our destination. We got there quickly, and just as quickly understood why we were stationed there. Lifeboats ran long the walls. Not only was it important to us to protect our way out, it was important to shoot any Covenant bastards that tried to make their way in through the lifeboat locks. Two metal barricades had been set up in the hall, providing us cover. I instructed the Marine with the GPMG to set up behind one, and Pulowski behind the other. The others, including myself, took cover behind support structures in the wall. I heard our MAC gun fire again, and another cheer arose from the Marines. "The Captain must really be giving them hell!" said Jennifer. I concurred with her mentally. In in instant, I felt two small vibrations and heard metallic thuds. Covenant boarding parties. "Here we go Marines! Let's give these sons of bitches something to remember!" A thunderous "OOH-RAH" filled the room. I couldn't help but give a quick smirk under my helmet. "Here they come!" said the construct in my helmet.

The pressurized doors of one of the lifeboat's made a whooshing sound as it opened, and two foolhardy and perhaps overzealous grunts entered the corridor. Being close enough, I lined them up with the reticle in my helmet, and squeezed off two rounds of 7.62x51 in less than a second. In an instant, the rounds struck their heads, and they dropped like sacks of potatoes on the ground. I heard a hushed and impressed "Shit" come from one of the marines. Seconds later, three Jackals with energy shields entered our hallway in a phalanx formation. Behind them were seven grunts, and an Elite formed the rear. Plasma bolts filled the air above us. "Use your frags Marines! Roll them under the Jackals!" Pulowski and another Marine primed the buttons on their M9 frags and rolled them gently under the birdlike creatures. We took cover and heard two loud explosions, as well as the shrapnel bouncing off the exposed parts of the room. We retook our firing position. Two of the Jackals were dead, as was one of the grunts. Unfortunately, the Elite was fine, although it seemed as some of his shielding had been chipped away, and he was now exposed to our gunfire. Two blue plasma bolts passed by me. I peeked around my pillar and fired off two rounds, hitting a grunt center mass. Down he went, twitching in a pool of his own blue blood. I heard the Marine on the GPMG scream an insult at the alien invaders as he tore up all those unlucky to have remained in his way. He cut down the last of the grunts and sent the Jackal and Elite ducking for cover about 10 meters in front of us.

I pointed to the MG gunner, "Marine! Keep those bastards under fire. Make sure they don't move a fuckin' inch!"

"Yes sir!" he replied. I turned around to the rest of the Marines behind me.

"Alright, here's the plan Marines. We're gonna use frags to flush that Elite out of hiding. When he's exposed, focus fire on him till he goes down. Once he's dead, stop firing. I'll deal with the Jackal myself. Everyone got it?" They all nodded. "Alright. Frag out!" A cacophony of "Frag outs!" followed my own and three frags laid more or less at the feet of the Elite. Mine was the only one actually under him. The Elite warbled something in his alien tongue, and jumped out of cover. The shrapnel did some damage to his shields, but they were still up. We popped out of cover. "Focus fire!" I exclaimed. The combined fire of all our weapons dropped his shields down nearly instantly, and the eight and a half foot alien fell just as soon. A pool of purple blood began covering the floor. The Marines stopped firing and I lept out of cover. Time slowed around me. Spartan Time was what we called it. I holstered my DMR and took out my pistol. Approaching the Jackal, I dropped down and slid on my back. Still sliding, I passed by him. He turned his body towards me, exposed. I heard him squawk at me, and in response I delivered a .50 caliber round right between his eyes. The creature dropped lifeless to the floor. Time began moving normally again, and I got off the ground. The corridor was silent for a moment, then I heard cheers from the Marines.

"Fucking BAD-ASS!" I heard Pulowski say.

"Damn, I wish we had seven of you Spartans!" said a female Marine.

"Jenn," I said smugly. "Would you mind turning on the auto-translate? I would have liked to hear that Jackals exclamation of surprise before I put a round in his head."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. Our celebration was short lived however, a massive explosion rocked the ship, and knocked the Marines to the glossy floor.

"What the hell was that Jenn!"

"If my sensors are correct, the ship's been...blown in two!"

"Shit! What are our options for getting off! We won't have long before we crash into the planet!"

"Analyzing...the remaining lifeboats have been damaged by the explosion's shrapnel or plasma from the firefight...But there's still a Pelican and crew waiting for takeoff in Hanger Bay 3. CCTV footage shows them to still be fine. I'll tell them to expect us...There's a large Covenant force of about 40 making their way to Hanger 3. They'll be all over them in 5 minutes." I turned to face the Marines.

"You all heard her! We're getting our asses off this ship. Follow me Marines, double time!" I pulled the rifle off my back and began running as Jennifer gave me a waypoint on my HUD. I had to slow myself down so the Marines could keep up, but no way in hell was I going to leave my comrades behind. I tac-reloaded my DMR, putting the spare mag in my hardcase On our way there, we passed by a group of dead technicians. A grim reminder of our own mortality.

We reached the hangar in the nick of time. It was enormous. A Pelican dropship waited for us, and two pilots waited outside by the troop hold. When we reached them, the Marines were short of breath but I hadn't even broke a sweat. The Marines piled inside as the co-pilot took his seat at the controls. The pilot remained outside.

"What are orders sir?" She exclaimed, barely audible over the engines.

"Get to your station. Once we hop inside, seal the back and prepare for trans-orbital flight. We're getting off this ship and landing on the planet." I noticed a green flash in the corner of my eye. "Fuck!" I yelled, as I pushed the pilot into the troop compartment. A plasma pistol bolt hit my armor and was absorbed harmlessly by the shield. The doors on the other side of the hangar bay were open, and about 40 xenos were pouring out of it. I stood my ground, suppressing them with my DMR and sending them diving for cover. I put a round straight through an Elite's mouth as the dropship began to lift off the landing pad. I jumped aboard the Pelican and grabbed hold of one of handholds. This was going to be a rough ride.


	4. Chapter 4

I heard the pilot's voice over the intercom. "We've got Seraphs inbound! 5 marks at 11 o'clock!" I could hear the fear in her voice.

"We're gonna die!" one of the Marines wailed.

"Pull yourself together Leatherneck! We're gonna make it, just you wait and see!" I moved past the crew chief and up to the cockpit.

"Give me a status report pilot! How long till we're topside?" The pilot gave me a quick glance and read her instrument panel.

"About 6 minutes sir!" _Shit. 6 long, vulnerable minutes. Does the UNSC even have a presence on Charon?_

 _"_ Fuck. Try getting any planet-side UNSC forces on comms. I'd prefer _not_ to get shot out of space today."

"Yes sir!" she replied with purpose. "All UNSC forces, this is Pelican Delta 308 from the UNSC _Vienna_ , requesting immediate assistance! We've got contact all over us!"

I felt the ship shake. "Goddamit! We've been hit!" the co-pilot said. A Seraph zoomed past us. "Pilot, can you take that fucker out with the chaingun? We won't last long if we don't knock down a few of their fighters!"

"Negative sir, they're moving too fast! Cannon can't get a good lock on." I swore under my breath. We were sitting ducks here, and everyone knew it. The Marines had a panicked look on their face. They knew they were about to die, and I couldn't help them. I glanced back to the cockpit. A red light on the console started flashing, and a warning siren began to blare.

"Fuck! We're in his sights! I'm going to try and shake him. Hang on!" The artificial gravity projectors had a hard time keeping up with the sudden movement, and I went off balance as the ship lurched to the left. I heard someone throw up, and saw blue plasma bolts overshoot as as we dove down. "This is Pelican Delta 308! We're about to get fucked over here. We need support NOW!" As the pilot had finished her hail, her co-pilot pointed to an object ahead of us and cursed. I looked up, and saw a Seraph with a glowing green light, unmistakably a fuel rod cannon being charged up. I prepared to meet my maker.

The Seraph was engulfed in a blue explosion. Coming up from the bottom of the now wrecked fighter were two Longswords. The co-pilot sighed in relief and I heard the pilot say "Oh thank fuck". I saw the two black ships pull along side us from the cockpit window.

"Malevolence-1 and Malevolence-2 at your service ma'am. How can we help the Corps today?" a male voice with a Southern accent said. I overheard a Marine in the back say "Damned flyboys! Always wanting to put on a show. I think I'll have to change my pants after that one!" The comment got a few nervous laughs, myself included. I spoke up.

"We're grateful for the assist Malevolence. Our ass would have been toast if you guys didn't show up when you did. Is the rest of your squadron dealing with the Covenant?"

"Yessir! We got 20 Longswords up here engaging the measly force those Covvie bastards sent up to deal with you. I guess they wasn't expecting Charon's finest now was they?" I heard a chuckle on my comms. These pilots were a bit bombastic but I owed them my ass. I wasn't really in a position to judge. I turned to the pilot and asked for a damage report.

"Sensors say that some of the shielding above the troop compartment is gone, but all my flight controls are still functional. We'll be alright." I took a deep breath and sighed. _I guess we're not toast after all_. We entered the atmosphere shortly thereafter.

. . .

ATC had us redirected to the only city on the planet, Berlin. I took the extra time to ask Jennifer about the destruction of the _Vienna_. Not wanting to potentially ruin morale, I turned the microphone off so that only she could hear what I said, and vice versa.

"So what exactly destroyed the ship?" I inquired of her.

"It looks like the Covenant brought a series of anti-matter charges with them." She responded. "They probably placed one on each of the major levels in order to blast it in two."

"Don't you know for certain Jenn?"

"Honey, I lost control of the ship when you yanked me, remember? _Did she just call me "honey"?_

"I was in communication wirelessly with the ship's sub-routines, but I couldn't view everywhere at once like normal. So no." I remained silent for a few seconds.

"Did anyone else make it?"

"From when we left, it seems only a team of ODSTs were able escape. I lost total communication with the ship about 5 minutes later."

"What about the Captain?"

She sighed. "I'm getting nothing back from the Neural Implant. He's probably..." She didn't finish the sentence. "Dead," I said. I realized my tone had a certain finality to it. I stood there for a few seconds more, thinking about what just happened. _Another ship gone. Another irreplaceable capital ship, and all the materiel inside it. Tanks, guns, planes; everything. What's worse, we lost a lot of good soldiers. We need men just as much as bullets in this war, and our numbers are already dwindling. A lot of wives, daughters, sons, and husbands will grieve today. We lost a brilliant Captain today too. How can we possibly win this war? It'd take a miracle._

I switched my microphone back on and went up to the pilot. "Hey," I said solemnly to her. "Do you think you could open the ramp up? I'd like to see the planet we'll most likely be defending."

"No problem, sir. Enjoy the view." The ramp lowered and locked in place with a satisfying metallic thud. Down below, I could see strip-mines pockmarked along the earth like bomb craters. "Damn, that's a lot of mining!" I heard Pulowski shout over the engines and wind.

"Yeah. Jenn says it's 10% of the titanium alone."

"BXR Corporation?"

"Probably". The young marine gazed out onto the ground below. Perhaps he was wondering if he was going to die there.

. . .

We finally reached the city about half an hour later. It reminded me a bit of New Alexandria. The city park had been converted into a makeshift landing zone, and we began to lower our altitude. As we landed, I could see Army troops mulling about, moving to and fro on their orders. I saw a burly black Lieutenant waiting for us as well. As the Marines took their harness off and got out of their seats, I stepped off the Pelican. The LT made his way towards me, and I gave him a casual salute, which he returned and dropped. I did the same.

"Are you Sierra One-One-Four?" He spoke with an English accent.

"Yes sir, that's me."

"You can call me Lieutenant Morrison. You and your Marines are to come with me. Major General Andropova needs to see you." _Not the bullshitting type huh_ I thought to myself _._ He led us to a pair of transport Warthogs, and we filed in. I took shotgun in his vehicle, and we took lead.

"So tell me about this Major General of yours. Andropova was her name, right sir?"

"Yes. She's head of the Army detachment here on Charon II. She has some urgent orders for you and your squad."

"So tell me about yourself sir. Where do you come from?"

"I'm not one to give out personal details, Spartan. It distracts me from my job, and that can cost lives." _Damn dude, lighten up a little. We're not exactly in the middle of a battlefield._

We arrived at a massive skyscraper. The front had two spires going up, one longer than the other; it reminded me of the _Vienna_ 's cannons in a sense.

"Alright, we're here." said Morrison. "Everyone out." We all disembarked and made it to a humongous elevator. "The General should be waiting for you on the 77th floor. Her office will be right in front of you. Don't be late," Morrison said flatly. The glass doors closed and Morrison went off to another objective, wasting no time in doing so.

The view on the way up was magnificent. Save for the floor and the ceiling, the entire elevator was made of glass. We could see the expanses of the city around us; from her gasp, even the AI in my helmet seemed impressed. I wondered though, _Why hadn't the Covenant started glassing the city, or even attacked us yet? Did the Captain manage to disable the third vessel as well?_

The elevator began to slow down, and the Marines all looked at each other nervously. A call like this always meant a new assignment, which meant more combat. I shared their anxiety. The elevator finally stopped, and a pleasant "ding" sounded as the doors whooshed open. Various Army personnel were running around in a state of near-panic. I saw some kitted-up troops but most of them seemed like paper pushers. Pulowski rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. We made our way forward. Pleasantly, I saw three ODSTs with their helmets off just ahead of Andropova's office. I recognized one of them as Barnes, and took my helmet off as well. I ran over to him.

"Barnes!" He stopped talking to his squaddie and a shit-eating grin appeared on his face. "How the fuck're you doing? I thought we lost you back there. How'd you get off?" I inquired. I outstretched my arm and he grasped it, our elbows bent downward. I gave him a quick pat on the arm and saw him wince a little.

"It was just pure fuckin' luck man. Cap'n ordered us to our drop pods just in case something fucky happened. We got there just as some big explosion shook the ship. We realized it was fucked and dropped manually...Say, what happened to Captain?" The smile faded from his face.

"His neural implant went offline. He's probably-"

"Don't finish the sentence" he said, and gestured for me to turn around. The Marines caught up to me, and I could tell they were glad someone else made it off. "You sure brought quite the party. Well, I shouldn't keep you. She already briefed us, so we'll meet you when that's over. Damn good to see you Jake." The smile reappeared on his face.

"You too Barnes, see you in a few." I held the door open for the Marines and gestured them inside.

I made my way to the front of the group and caught my first look at Major General Andropova. She had a wrinkled face, with distinctly Slavic features. I assumed she was either from one of the Slavic countries on Earth, Reach, or New Harmony. I gave her a rigid salute.

"Petty Officer First Class Sierra One-One-Four reporting for Duty ma'am".

"Ah, Petty Officer. I've been expecting you. Please, have a seat." She gestured to a mahogany seat in front of her desk. Her accent was thick and rough, not gentle enough to be from New Harmony. "No thank you ma'am, I'd like to stand with the rest of my troops if that's alright with you." She looked away to her window overlooking the city. The sun bathed her face in rays of golden light.

"As you wish." She looked back to me. "So, Spartan. Jacob is it? I have a special task for you and your Marines." She booted up a holographic display of the city. "So far, the Covenant have not attacked us yet. We're not sure why. Right now, we're taking this time to evacuate the civilian population of the city. Standard procedure, as I'm sure you know. There is one person that I want to be sure gets off this planet safely." The projector switched to show a young girl's face. She was probably no older than 15.

"An HVI ma'am?"

"Yes. Her name is Danielle Silverman. Her father is the CEO of BXR Mining. It would be detrimental to the war effort if he were to become...distracted by such a loss as grievous as his own daughter. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I'll have her location shared with your AI. I'm putting at your disposal a troop and recce Warthog. Try to return them the way you received them. I know that can be rough for you Marines sometimes." The centuries old Army-Marine rivalry making it's way known. I had expected a bit more professionalism from such a high-ranking officer. She looked back at the window. A few seconds passed by. "That will be all Petty Officer. You are dismissed." She didn't even turn to face me. We saluted her once more and left the office.


	5. Chapter 5

"Not the warmest face in the galaxy, huh?" said Barnes. I agreed with him:

"What a pain in the ass. She had the audacity to insult me and my men, basically implying we ate crayons and glue. Do you believe that?"

"Eh, it's just the fuckin' Army with their thumbs stuck up their asses. I wouldn't take it personally." He on put his helmet. "You ready to move out bro?"

"Yeah, let's get a move on. Marines! On me. We're going to the Hogs." I gestured towards Barnes. "You first sir." I'm sure he could see the shit-eating grin on my face, and I could imagine the scowl on his. I put my helmet on and motioned my squad to the elevator.

Adding Barnes and his ODSTs to my squad gave it a significant increase in firepower. Barnes had the SRS99C-S2 sniper rifle. It was a devastating weapon that could one-shot a shielded Elite 2,300 meters away. One of his squaddies, Bryant, was armed with the M41 SSR rocket launcher. The weapon had two tubes, allowing for rapid follow-up shots on any Covenant vehicle unfortunate to get in it's way. The third helljumper was armed with the BR55 Battle Rifle. Not as accurate or deadly as my DMR, but it was a more well rounded choice for a variety of combat applications. He also carried the M319 grenade launcher on his back. Personally, I preferred the semi-automatic or pump action models, but the ease of use and ruggedness of the M319 was second to none. It was a logical choice for the ODSTs. The ride down was uneventful, and soon enough we were outside the building.

Waiting for us at the crescent was an M12 Warthog LRV and an M831 Warthog TT. The former was the ubiquitous recon variant, with the .50 BMG chaingun. Any Xeno dumb enough to get in it's way got dropped pretty much fucking instantly. The Troophogs had spaces for 10 people in the back. Combined with the ODSTs, we'd have just enough room for the HVI between the two vehicles.

"Yo, I call dibs on shotgun," exclaimed Barnes.

"Nah, we need it free for the girl. I want you on the chaingun," I replied

He sighed. "Aw, come on slick. Why you gotta be that way? Depriving me of you driving your Lieutenant around."

I laughed. "In your fuckin' dreams, devil dog. Come on, I don't want to keep our esteemed Major General waiting any longer."

I pressed the buttons necessary for starting the car, and the 12 liter engine roared to life. "Man, that will never _not_ give me a boner," I said in an exuberant tone.

"I know right?" came the response from my gunner.

"Everyone ready?" I asked over the radio.

"Yes sir, we're A-OK. Ready when you are" said one of the female Marines.

"Jennifer, give me directions to the HVI."

"Ok...there you go." From the way she said it, I could tell she would have had a cute smile on her face. If she actually had a face.

"Thanks babe." I said semi-jokingly. A blue line appeared on the road ahead of me, and I pulled out of the crescent. The other Hog wasn't far behind. We drove through the busy streets, often stopping because of traffic. The city was a nightmare. Trucks were coming to and fro, offloading troops and carrying civilians, presumably to the park.

"This is a fuckin' nightmare," said Barnes.

"Couldn't have said it any better myself brother," I replied.

"I third that, this shit suuuucks," I heard Pulowski pipe up over the radio. Our little convoy made our way to the intersection. I began to cross just as a particularly aggressive truck turned right in front of us. I slammed on the brakes.

"Hey! Watch where the fuck you're going, jackass!" said Barnes. The Army soldier flipped us off and replied "Up yours too Jarhead!" I sighed and shook my head.

Just as I was about to pull away, I heard an ominous sound above us.

"Holy fucking shit!" said one of the Marines. I looked up and saw two Covenant cruisers in orbit over the city. My eyes widened, and I put the pedal to metal.

"Jenn! How far are we from the objective?"

"Judging by our average speed, we should be there in 3 minutes, 42 seconds." I looked up again, and I could see Phantoms and Banshees coming out of the ship like bees from a beehive. "Banshee on our ass!" said the ODST behind me. I heard the chaingun spool up, and a sound that can only be described as four jackhammers at once reverberated through the valley of skyscrapers. I looked in my mirror, and I could see the Banshee getting torn up. It pulled up away from us, but it was too late. Barnes tracked it expertly with the .50, and I saw a small explosion just before it crashed into one of the buildings. Another Banshee zoomed at us from the front, and I could see the fuel rod cannon charge up. "Shit!" I exclaimed. Time began to slow down. I pulled the emergency brake, and drifted the Hog to the other side of the road. The Banshee pulled up, and a green explosion flew up rock and asphalt from the other side of the road. It missed us. If I had been a second later, we would have been bits and pieces on the side of the road. I swerved back onto the right lane, and the Hog behind us did the same to avoid the blast crater. I drove for a few minutes longer before we reached our destination. The Carlton was quite impressive. It was almost as tall as the Army HQ and much more refined. An elaborate fountain made of gold and obsidian ran in the foyer, and an impressive holographic light show was projected into the air above it. I jumped out of the driver's seat, and the rest of my squad followed suit. We ran up the steps leading to the entrance, and the automatic doors opened up for us. The lobby was eerily quiet. The only sound we could hear was of our boots on the marble floor.

"Which way to her room?" I inquired of the AI.

"5th floor, room 117. Giving you the location of the stairway on your HUD right now."

"On me boys. Let's get this bitch and go home" I said to my squad.

We went up the stairwell, weapons drawn; scanning for any signs of the Covenant. We used the flashlights on our rifles to see better. The tension was almost palpable as we swung our weapons back and forth, up and down. If the Covenant had landed, they sure weren't here. We reached the 5th floor, and were soon at her room. I had the Marines set up security around the hall. Barnes and I took up positions on either side of the door, and drew our pistols. I knocked on the door and pressed the doorbell. No response. I tried the vocal approach.

"Danielle Silverman! This is UNSC Special Forces. We're here to extract you from the area. Open up!" Nothing.

"You know slick, we could always use the explosive option".

"Nah," I replied. "I have a better idea." I moved my body in front of the door and gave it a good kick. It went flying, sliding on the floor as Barnes and I moved in, weapons drawn. We called her name once more and no response. We turned a corner and heard a scream.

"What the FUCK" said an annoying young voice. We lowered our weapons. In front of us was Danielle Silverman, watching a video on her console with headphones in her ears. No wonder she hadn't heard us. "You gotta fuckin' be kidding me," Barnes muttered.

"You're Danielle Silverman, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, so what? What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?"

"Do you not realize the city is under attack by the Covenant? We've been tasked with getting you on a transport out of here." Her face grew pasty white.

"Oh shit...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to – wow you're tall."

"Never heard that one before. Come on, we've got to get you out of here." I lead her to the Marines outside while Barnes took up the rear.

"Jenn, tell the General we have the package, and we're making our way to the park."

"I just got word back from her. The park was overrun, so they've redirected us to a secondary landing site."

"Where is it?" said Barnes.

"...On the opposite side of town."

"You're shit-"

"Jenn," I said, cutting the him off. "When is extraction slated for? It'll take us an hour to get there if we're lucky."

"It's slated for 20:00 tonight." _Christ. That's a damn long time_. "Can you get them there any sooner?"

"Negative. I asked and they denied my request."

"Alright. I guess we'll be spending the night then. Splendid."

I filled in the Marines on the current status of the mission, much to their chagrin. Nobody wanted to stay a minute longer then they needed to here, especially with all the Covvies that would be crawling around by nighttime. We hurried down the stairwell and approached the entrance. Our rides were just outside.

"Stay here," I said to the squad. "I need to make sure the coast is clear." I stepped out into the foyer. No sign of hostile contact. I switched to thermal and IR vision. Still nothing. I motioned for the squad to move up and get in the Hogs. I ran up to Danielle and took a knee. I still had about a few inches on her.

"We're going to put you in the side seat of my Warthog. That's where you'll be safest. Do you understand?"

"I guess. I mean, yeah. I do." I could tell the situation was overwhelming her.

"Come on. Your best chance of survival is with me and my men, trust me. There's a reason why they assigned us to get you off this rock." We got into the Warthog and sped off towards the destination.

Besides the sounds of a distant battle, the city was totally silent. No-one else was in the area. No Humans or Covenant, it had been as if the universe had ended.

"I don't like this" I heard Barnes say over comms.

"It's quiet..." said Pulowski. "Too quiet" we said in unison. Suddenly, I saw a green flash, and the asphalt exploded directly ahead of us. The kid screamed as we went down into the crater. Plasma blots began ringing around us. I tried to put the Hog in reverse, but we were in too deep. "Fuck, everyone out!" I screamed. I got out and saw Barnes jump off the back, but Danielle was having some trouble getting out from her seat. I took my DMR off my back turned to her, telling her to stay put. I began suppressing the Xenos who had taken cover under a building to our left. I counter sniped a Jackal, putting one round in his heart. I heard Barnes's sniper rifle ring out and an Elite with a Fuel Rod gun went down accordingly. A few rounds of plasma hit my armor, and I fell back behind the Warthog. I rushed over to Danielle. Her eyes kept darting between me and the Covenant firing at us. Fear was in them.

I looked down at the floor of the vehicle and saw the problem. Her harness straps had gotten jammed in the crash. I took my knife out if it's sheath and cut the straps. She was free, and I pulled her out of the seat and behind the Hog before stuffing the knife back in it's sheath. The Marines had already disembarked from their vehicle and were hiding behind it like we were. They were making a few pot shots but they were largely too suppressed to do anything. We were between a rock and a hard place. The space was too wide to use grenades, and their cover was too heavy to simply flush them out with small arms fire. Then, I had an idea.

"Barnes! Stay here with the girl. I'm running over to the Marines! I have a plan."

"Gotcha, on the count of three! Three! Two! One! Leg it, Spartan!" I sprinted over to the parked Warthog, evading most of their fire.

"Barnes, you listening?" I said over comms. "Yeah!" was the emphatic response. I turned to the Marines. "Alright, here's the deal!" I pointed to the Marine with the M90. "You're going to give me your shotty, and I'll give you my DMR. I'm going to sprint over and take those fuckers out one by one. You guys are going to cover me as I run over, otherwise I'm fucked sideways. Everyone got it?"

"Got it sir!" said Pulowski.

"On three, get ready to pop up on my command!" I counted off with my fingers. As my palm closed. I head the Marines scream "Suppressing!" They opened fire as I ran around the Warthog. A few plasma bolts went past me but soon our firepower overwhelmed them, and the Covvies went for their precious cover.

I slid behind a concrete roadblock, and leaned over it. I saw an Elite was behind cover ahead of me, and I fired off a shell into him. This took away his shields, and I heard him growl in irritation. I pumped the action, and a spent shell ejected out the side. He turned to shoot me, but I was faster. I pulled the trigger, and his head came clean off the rest of his body. Purple blood started sprouting up from his neck. But now I had gotten the attention of every damned Xeno in front of me and I vaulted the roadblock and hid behind a pillar. A few green plasma rounds were being fired by a grunt towards me. I threw a grenade at his feet, and seconds later he went flying past me, bleeding out of multiple wounds. He was dead when he hit the ground. I peeked out of cover, and saw that they were back to dealing with my Marines. An explosion landed right at the feet of a Jackal, severing him in two. It must have been the grenade launcher. I moved out of cover, walking and aiming my shotgun for any hostiles. I saw another grunt behind a pillar, and wasted him. As I went around the pillar, I could see a Jackal about to snipe one of my boys. I turned and shot him almost point blank. I heard him squawk in agony as my 8 Gauge shell put a hole right through his body. He collapsed to the floor and I moved on. I came up on an Elite and rapidly dumped two rounds into him. Down he went. Two more Elites popped out of cover and charged me. I managed to drop one, but the second knocked me off my feat and I dropped my shotgun. He stood above me and reached behind his belt and pulled a stick out. He ignited the Energy Sword as I got to my feet. He towerd over a foot and a half over me in my MJOLNIR armor. He truly was a humongous specimen. I drew the knife from my sheath and prepared for CQC.

He lunged at me but I jumped out of his way. He recovered, and he swung one more time, though I ducked out harm's way. He became frustrated and swung with a great arc. A fatal blunder. I caught his arm with my left, and my right hand plunged my knife into his neck. I could see the Elite's eyes widen as he tried to say something, but nothing except gurgling came out. I cut all along his neck and withdrew the knife from his body swiftly. He crumpled to the ground. Behind him was a Grunt, staring at what I had just done to his leader. I drew my pistol and shot him in the head. I checked the rest of the plaza to make sure if there was any more Xenos. My search came up empty. "Clear!" I yelled over comms. I picked up the Shotgun and walked back to my Warthog

"So this Hog is fucked, what about the other one?" I asked on the radio. Pulowski answered me. "Looks like the Covvies tore it up pretty bad when we were hiding behind it sir. Engine won't start." I handed back the Marine his shotgun.

"Dammit. Looks like we'll be hoofing it from here." I guess it was a good thing Andropova had rescheduled our flight after all. I took my helmet off and turned to Danielle.

"Look, just keep close to me. Do whatever I tell you to do, and don't wonder off no matter what happens. Got it?" She just nodded her head. I could see tears on her face, and her eyes were bloodshot. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness as I put my helmet back on. _She didn't sign up for this._ _She didn't deserve to be put through this. No-one did._ I sighed, but I pushed my feelings aside for the sake of my comrades. If I appeared weak to them, they'd lose all hope for us. "Alright Marines," I said with conviction. "Form up on me! We're moving out!"


	6. Chapter 6

"God...It's fuckin' hot." The young Marine was covered in sweat, and his movement was beginning to become sluggish. Pulowski's symptoms were not unique however. We had been marching since 1200 hours in the blazing heat, which combined with the battle earlier was taking it's toll on the troops. But, we had to keep going as it was 1500 hours already, and I wanted that comfortable two hour of space just in case shit hit the fan. We had also expended most of our ammo, and were dangerously low on water. I surveyed the area, looking for a suitable area for the troops to rest. After some scanning, I decided our safest bet was a nearby car park, as the Marines would be safe underground in it. I turned around to face my troops.

"Alright boys, listen up. We're going to rest in the bottom of that car park for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, I'm going to go out looking for supplies. We're getting close to bingo on everything, and I don't want us getting to the EZ low on ammo." A wave of relief came upon their faces. I could tell they were glad they were receiving the respite.

"Thank God," proclaimed Barnes. "I hoped you wasn't seriously thinking we was gonna keep up with your cyborg ass!" This drew a round of laughter. I couldn't help myself to join in.

"Come on guys, we're almost there. Sooner we get there, the sooner you guys get to sit down." This put a new jolt of energy in the Marines, and they ran after me towards the park.

The elevator down worked, blessedly, and the soldiers groaned in relief as they took their helmets and backpacks off. I went up to the girl and took my helmet off.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" She seemed a bit dehydrated, and was showing some signs of sunburn. Obviously, she hadn't been expecting to hike for 3 hours in the Charon sun.

"Ok I guess, but I am a little thirsty. My feet hurt too."

"Alright," I replied. "I'll get you some Aspirin while I'm out. Hey Pulowski! Let the girl have some of your water, will you? Get me a duffle bag too while you're at it." I heard the Marine come running over with his canteen in one hand and the duffle bag in the other. "Thanks." I turned back to Danielle. "Pulowski here will take care of you while I'm gone. You'll be safe with him, don't worry." I wondered if the Marine was proud that I trusted him with such an important task, or if he was annoyed to be acting as a babysitter. I put my helmet back on and turned to Pulowski. "I'll probably be around half an hour. I want the squad to be ready when I come back, alright? Relay that to Lieutenant Barnes and the rest of the squad."

"Yes sir. We'll have our shit together when ya get back. Good luck bro." I got in the elevator and soon enough was topside.

The only eerier thing in being in a deserted city with only 10 people is being in a city alone. The battle sounded like it was getting more intense on the other side of town. I could now hear the distinctive sounds of tank cannons, both human and Covenant. The invasion must have gotten serious to warrant the deployment of an armored division. The two cruisers still hung lazily in the air, a menacing reminder of the Covenant's ability to strike virtually anywhere at anytime. _I wonder how long it will take for the city to fall. Granted, it's not exactly the fleet that invaded Reach, but they're exactly invading Reach either_. The Covenant always seemed to win, no matter what happened. Once in a while they might lose on the ground, but almost every battle in space was a decisive Covenant victory. Although I still believed in victory, the war seemed more and more hopeless to those around me. I wondered if my Marines felt the same. If they did, they didn't show it. The Marines had fought with fierce determination on the _Vienna_ and now down here. I respected them as much as any of my brothers or sisters in the program. Snapping back from my thoughts, I ran across the street, wanting to limit my time exposed. While this part of the city seemed to have little activity, it wasn't past the Xenos to set up ambushes like this.

"Jenn, are there any nearby arms stockpiles or friendly units? We desperately need to rearm."

"You're in luck. My reports with the Major General indicate a friendly unit was housed in the nearby Defense Force armory. They may still be there, and some of their weaponry certainly will be. It's only about a mile out. Uploading the coordinates to your HUD now."

"Alright, cheers. Would have been a pain in the ass to find it on a map or something." She laughed.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for after all. To make your life better." I started running towards the waypoint on my HUD.

When I got there, something was immediately felt wrong. The walls by the entrance were covered in plasma scorched marks. They looked fresh. Very fresh, actually. I pointed my rifle at the door and switched on my IR and thermal vision modes, looking for any sign of enemy contact. Nothing. My motion tracker was clear as well, so I decided to carefully enter the building.

The scene that greeted me was quite gruesome. The interior of the armory was even worse than the outside. Spent shell casing littered the floor, as did the bodies of dead Marines. I cursed under my breath. The walls were covered in bullet holes and plasma scorches. A thin lining of blood covered the floor. Making my way to the armory, I almost tripped over a Marine, or what was left of him after an apparent plasma grenade. The armory itself was seemingly untouched, with just a few rifles and grenades missing from their racks.

"Well, I wasn't expecting THAT much to be left" said Jenn.

"Yeah," I replied. "I don't like it. I have a bad feeling about this, let me tell you." I went to work filling up the bag. Pallets of 7.62, boxes of 8 Gauge, sniper mags, belts of MG ammo, and some 40mm grenades. I also managed to find some pouched water. The bag filled up quickly, and soon enough I slung it on my back. I quickly visited the medical center to pick up some pain relief for Danielle, and headed for the entrance. I was about to walk out the door when I noticed too blips on my motion detector. Red for hostile. I quickly activated my active camouflage, and hid in the corner.

Two Elites walked into the dorm with their weapons drawn. They were Zealots, some of the best the Covenant had to offer. They were only used in situations dealing with the retrieval of sacred Forerunner artifacts. I wondered, what were they doing here?From their search of every nook and cranny, they seemed to be on the hunt for something very important.

"It seems the girl is not here." Said one of the Elites to the other. He was a bit taller. "Yes. Tell me brother, do you even think she will know where the Cartographer is?" replied the smaller one. "Truth believes she will; so do I. He is infallible. And she is the daughter of the mining leader, so it seems logical. I believe she will lead us to the Cartographer, and thus towards the Great Journey. Come my friend. We must go now. Glory and salvation await!"

My head swirled with questions. Why did the Zealots, and even moreso, the Prophet of Truth, have an interest in Danielle? What connection did this artifact have with her father? And most importantly what exactly was this "Cartographer" they spoke of? None of it made any sense to me. I waited for them to leave and switched off my cloaking device.

"Jake, I just got an idea", said Jenn. "Charon II was one of the few colonies found that didn't need terra-forming. It was _found_ habitable. I think it's possible that Charon II is Forerunner in nature, or at the very least was inhabited by them. Perhaps BXR mining found something while digging. Something important, and that's why their searching for Danielle. From the sound of it, it has some deep religious connotation for them. Jake, whatever happens, we can't let them catch her. And we can't let them find it."

"Fuck...I think you're right. That would explain why they haven't glassed us yet, and probably why they took so long to actually start the invasion. Contact ONI and tell them what's going on, they need to know. And try to contact Dr. Halsey too, I'm sure she'll want to hear it from the horse's mouth."

I sprinted back to the car park, praying that the Elites hadn't somehow found her first. While it was the logical decision to go alone for the ammo, I regretted leaving the girl alone. Thankfully, upon exiting the elevator, I was greeted with the elated voices of my squadmates. They congratulated me on getting them the ammo and water, but my mind was too concerned with the most recent turn of events to pay attention. Danielle walked up to me, asking if I had brought her meds.

"Yeah, and I have some water for you as well...Do you mind if I talk to you privately for a minute? It's important." A look of concern appeared on her.

"Yeah, uh...sure." We walked out of earshot of the group."What's the matter?"

"Did your father tell you anything important about work recently? Any recent discoveries?" "No, I don't thi- Well, now that you mention it yeah he did. He said that he was running into some problems in a mining site. He said he found something that he didn't really know of, and that a group called ONI quarantined the site. He said he was losing money because they wouldn't let him work on it. Why do you ask?"

"That's classified," I replied. "Sorry to hit you with that, but, that's the way it is." She sighed.

"I understand."

"Do you know where it is by any chance?"

"I know what continent it's on, but that's it. He said it was on Epoch. It's across the ocean from here... Sorry I couldn't be more helpful." She looked down at the ground.

"Hey," I said, stooping down to meet her gaze, "You've been doing great so far. The fact that you've been able to keep up with us and haven't complained is a testament of your strength. And don't ever apologize for something that you can't control. You got me?" She nodded.

"Yeah, t-thanks." I took her hand and squeezed it.

"I'll get you on that ship if I die trying. You have my word." I saw something in her eyes, a glimmer of hope perhaps. I let go of her hand and looked up. Barnes was jogging towards me.

"Hey, we're ready to move out whenever dude" he said. I stood up and told him to rally the troops. We still had a long march ahead of us.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been dark for a while when we arrived at the drop-point. It was a soccer stadium, a massive one at that. It must have been able to seat more than 500,000 people. I guess the locals sure loved their football. I checked the time on my TACPAD. 19:45. _Shit_ , I thought. Between the pace of the others and having to take detours from blocked roads we arrived within a nuthair of missing the pickup. I looked around, making sure we were alone. Nothing, just an empty stadium with 12 people in the center of the field. I popped a purple smoke grenade and threw it at the center circle. That would let them know where to pick us up. Pulowski spoke up on the Radio.

"Man...this is creepy." Barnes quickly affirmed his feeling.

"Yeah, too right man. Don't fuckin' like it, we're too exposed." I knew I had to say something. "You guys are right. But we'll only be here for a few minutes longer and besides, it seems clear. But I want all you guys on best behavior for any assholes that might try and start shit though. Keep those eyes peeled Marines." I heard Barnes laugh.

"Hah! Yeah, it _seems_ clear. Whatever you say, hero."

I wondered if the esteemed Major General Andropova had been sending some of her own Army boys to do the job, if she would have given them a better place to hand over the girl. Speaking of which, was doing pretty horribly. She had me examine blisters on her feet earlier and while I cut them open with my knife, they were bad. Her boots certainly weren't made for walking. Danielle also seemed on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. Regardless of whether or not this had actually been the exfil site, it would have been the end of the line for her. We would have had to spent the night and rested.

The Marines had also seen better days. 24 hours of fighting and rucking does that to someone. They were dog-tired, and many were sitting down on the field, haggard faces staring at some object in the distance. Admittedly, even I was beginning to feel the strain of the day. I took off my helmet and took a ration packet out from under my belt. Mango energy gel, a personal favorite. I ripped open the packet and squeezed the contents into my mouth, deliciously cold. I saw Barnes eyeing me, the envy clear on his face.

"You know, you get to have one when you're a squad leader" I said with a smirk on his face. A smile appeared on his.

"Luckily I am squad leader, asshole." He motioned towards him and I threw him my spare. He seemed to almost ingest the packet itself, eating like a pig. I decided to shift my gaze on...something. I squinted my eyes. _Did that light just shimmer over there?_

A purple flash appeared from that direction, and suddenly one of my Marines was hit in the head with a huge purple crystal. He crumpled to the ground, lifelessly. There wasn't a lot recognizable about his face. "SHIT! SNIPER!" I screamed as I donned my helmet and made my way towards Danielle. The Marines all hit the decks and scrambled for their weapons. I scrambled ontop of the girl to protect her, or more or less held myself up from her as so not to crush her. I heard Barnes screaming on the radio, asking of anyone knew where the shot came from.

"Yeah, I know! Over by where I shoot my Automag." I drew my M6S and began shooting where I had seen the muzzle flash. Danielle screamed. The Marines saw where I was shooting and soon a cacophony of semi-automatic and M247 fire filled the stadium. I turned on my IR setting and spotted 6 Elites and 6 Jackals just below where the Marines were firing.

"Marines! Shift fire down one row, they're using active camouflage! If you have IR goggles, now would be a good time to use them!" A few of the guns went quiet as they put on their specs but quickly resumed. We began receiving heavy plasma fire. I saw another Marine take a hit to the arm and scream as the plasma burned his flesh. The corpsman ran over and took a look at the wound as I shot one of the Jackals in the head. It was a bad position for both parties, we were both equally exposed.

Suddenly, I saw more movement to my right. A squad of Brutes had entered onto the field, flanking us. Our position had just gone from shit to non-existent.

"Goddamnit! Bryant! Use your Spanker on those covvie fucks in front of us! I don't give a shit about the shrapnel! Nakamura!" I pointed to the Asian Marine on the M247. "Shift focus to those Brutes! Don't let 'em advance another inch!" "Yes sir!" Her turned to make an L shape with the rest of the unit on his bipod, using short bursts on the apes. I saw one go down, and the gunner used an additional burst to make sure the xeno was dead. I shot my Magnum, and one of the rounds managed to clock one of the Elites ahead of me in the face, deshielding and decloaking him. This gave Bryant a target, and he stood up from the prone and took a knee. As fast as he could, he fired the two salvos from the launcher and dropped back down to reload. About a second later, the bleachers exploded in two enormous fireballs, and bits of Alien and shrapnel were strewn about us. I even saw one of the Elites go flying ten feet in the air. I aimed to the right with my pistol and fired two more rounds at the Brutes making their way towards us. With the Elites and Jackals dead, the rest of the squad shifted fire unto the Brutes trying to flank us. With nothing to suppress us anymore, they were in a fucked situation. I head Barnes' Sniper Rifle and saw one of the Brute's head completely disappear. I threw a frag at the last two and they both stopped running as the shrapnel tore them apart.

"Clear?" I yelled. I made one more sweep with the IRs. Nothing. "Yep!" was the emphatic response from Barnes. I got up from the girl. She had passed out during the fight.

"All vitals seem normal, Jake. She'll be alright." said Jenn. I breathed a sigh of relief and motioned over to Barnes. His body language didn't seem happy

"Dude, the fuck happened? Why didn't we see them when we went in?"

"I don't know, they must have been following us and waited for us to feel nice to fuck with us...bastards...Who's been hit?"

"Rorke and Martinez each have light plasma injuries. They need a doctor but they'll be fine. Clarkson took a needler rifle round to the chest. He's stable right now but he needs medical attention soon or he'll die. And Boyle..." He looked down at the ground.

"I know." was all I could muster to say. "I'll write his mother something nice. Tell her the truth, that her son died trying to protect an innocent girl. I think she'd like to know that, especially from a Spartan." He nodded, but didn't bring his gaze to mine.

I looked up and saw the Pelican.

"Fucking finally. Her ride's here. Now we can finally be done with babysitting." He looked up and gave me a pat on the shoulder as he went to rally the Marines for our own exfil. I ran to the girl and picked her up, carrying her in my arms. The crew chief was waiting for me.

"Here, take her! She's just passed out from exhaustion, but take her to a doctor just in case once you get to wherever you're going. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" He gave me a crisp salute and buckled her in before taking off. I watched it leave the stadium as I approached the dying Special Ops Elite. It's right leg was gone and his right side was covered in shrapnel wounds. He was bleeding profusely. I drew my Magnum and aimed it at his head, which was now being used to look at me. I heard it chuckle, or something like a chuckle, as it choked up blood. Annoyed with this act of arrogance, I hastily made my way towards it. I grabbed it's neck, and put the barrel of my pistol an inch from it's head. "What's so funny split lip? The fact that I've come to finish off what my Marines started?" He laughed again. "Did you really think that we would let you have her?" I looked over my shoulder to see two Banshees on the tail of the Pelican carrying the girl. "No," I whispered. I saw them fire their fuel rod cannons at it, and a ball of flame engulfed the night sky. I turned back to the Elite with fire in my eyes. He was now laughing hysterically. "You son of a bitch!" I pulled the trigger on my Automag, and with that he was no more.

The next few hours seemed like a blur. Another Pelican picked us up, and we made our way to the Army HQ on the other side of town. Somehow, we had managed to drive off the Covvies, but something told me that they had pulled out of orbit by choice. I couldn't get what happened out of my head. It seemed, neither could my teammates. All that bullshit; all that rucking, all that fighting, and all that dying were for nothing. We hadn't participated in the battle against the Covenant and the girl died anyways. What a fucking waste of life. I felt guilty about the girl too, even if it wasn't my fault. She didn't deserve to die. She was just a civilian who got born unlucky I suppose. Maybe, in the end, she wasn't as privileged as I thought. We landed on top of the building and we shuffled out. My favorite Lieutenant was waiting for us.

"Marines, to the barracks on level 23. Except you, Spartan. The Major General wants a debrief. Now." I saluted him

"Yes sir, I'll be with her shortly." I got in the elevator and stepped off before the Marines. Lieutenant Morrison followed me inside her office.

She looked particularly horrible. Her eyes were bloodshot, and had bags under them. A cup of coffee was in her hand as she stared at strategic data on a holographic display. I suspected that she had been awake even longer than my squad had. I gave her a rigid salute.

"Petty Officer First Class Jacob One-One-Four reporting as ordered ma'am!" A long and awkward silence followed the address.

"Permission to sit down ma'am?" "Denied," she replied coldly, as she kept her gaze on the data. Finally, after a few seconds, she sighed and turned off the display. "I want you to give me an abbreviated but inclusive AAR. If there is something you felt was important, you will tell me. Got it?" "Yes ma'am." I filled her in on the important parts of the night. Picking up Danielle, our first contact, overhearing the Zealots, our battle in the stadium, and the Pelican getting shot out of the air.

"So what you're telling me is that you failed the one thing I needed you to do?" I was taken aback by this kind of rudeness even from her.

"Excuse me ma'am?"

"She died under your watch Petty Officer! You failed your objective!" Her tone of voice had risen sharply.

"Ma'am, there was nothing I could have done to save her. She died on the Pelican. And by the way the only thing you told me to do was to put her on the ride. which I succeeded in. So don't tell me I didn't accomplish my mission." I stared at her, and she gazed back. Suddenly, she broke off the gaze, and the passion on her face eviscerated. A confused expression appeared on my face.

"Very well then Petty Officer, that will be all. You will rest until your next mission, on which you will be briefed tomorrow. The Lieutenant will show you to your quarters."

"What about the Forerunner excavation site? They've probably pulled back from here to search for it. And we happen to know where it is, or at least moreso than the Covenant. And you want us to do nothing?"

"Yes Petty Officer, and I don't appreciate this type of attitude from my men. Now, get out of my office and get some sleep. That is an order." I stared at her before storming out of her office.

Admittedly, I was a little glad to be for the rest, although I still would rather have been taking the fight to the Covenant or finding this excavation site. I went to the armory and changed from my armor into the army-supplied pajamas. Amazingly, they had found size SPARTAN. I slipped them on, and found they were a bit more comfortable than the Corps-issue ones. I put Jennifer in my pocket and made my way from the armory to my quarters. It was bigger than the one on the _Vienna_. I guessed that had to do with the fact that space wasn't at such a premium anymore. But, it wasn't home. It didn't have any of the personalizations that make it home, per se. I knew the terminal wouldn't have my music collection on it, and that unless Jennifer saved it from the logs of the _Vienna,_ I was going to have to rebuild it. Other stuff like my model Warthog, P-51 Mustang, or anything else that made my room _mine_. I felt a bit nostalgic and melancholy as I plugged the AI into the projector across from the bed. She appeared just after I did so.

"Want to talk a while?" she asked.

"No, no I'm sorry. I'm just tired Jenn. Next time, whenever that is. Goodnight Jenn."

"Ok. Sweet dreams Jake." The blue AI vanished and the lights went out across the room. I got into bed, groaning in comfort as I pulled to blanket over my body. I fell asleep almost instantly.

I dreamt I was still aboard the _Vienna_. I had just crawled into bed when I felt something else crawl in with me. It was warm. Feminine. I turned to see who it was, and immediately recognized the face. It was Jennifer.


	8. Chapter 8

I opened my eyes. Despite the length of the dream, it seemed as though I had been out for some time; the first signs of dawn were visible. I checked the holographic clock and my suspicions were confirmed: 0545. That little bit of consolation didn't give my mind any rest however. My head swam with thoughts.

Was I really in love with an AI? I had felt a sense of connection for a while but nothing like this. Whenever I tried to think of her, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of affection for her. I cared what happened to her, and I cared what she thought of me. What's more, I couldn't help but think _about_ her either. How her blonde hair fell clung to her shoulders, how her flat stomach poked out from her slightly-too-short shirt, even how good her perfectly formed ass looked in her jeans. I thought about what she'd look like out of them as well. _Jesus Christ_ I thought, _did I seriously just think about fucking an AI? What is wrong with me?_ But part of me couldn't help but feel as though it were natural, in one sense. Or at least justified. I never really was given the chance for love. The other Spartans were too awkward to engage in a relationship with, and inter-service relationships never seemed to work out, along with being a major breach in protocol. I never spent enough time off-duty to hone one with a civilian either. Besides, they would have to be interested in 7 foot tall super-soldiers, which I was pretty sure was a niche fetish.

I sighed. I was angry at myself for the thoughts I was having and angry at life for putting me in this position. I needed breakfast, or at least some coffee. I got up and got dressed in my BDUs. "Hey", a familiar female voice said as I finished putting on my boots. I looked up and say Jennifer. Something about her seemed...different, although I couldn't put my finger on it. Something seexier. She cocked her head and gave me a sweet look. "Good morning sleepyhead. You're up a bit early, aren't you?" "No rest for the wicked, as you know. Besides, I don't need that much sleep. 6 hours is a lot for a Spartan you know." "Yes, I do...I'll be honest, I really wanted to talk to you about something. Did you have another one of your dreams last night?" I looked at her for a few seconds. How did she know?

"You could say that. It was a little different this time."

"What happened?"

"That's a bit private, don't you think?"

"Oh come on Jake, you know you can trust me. Besides, I think we're...close enough we can talk about stuff like this."

"Well alright, if you really want to know. I dreamt I was on the _Vienna_ and someone..." I paused. "Crawled into bed with me. Then I woke up. Why are you so interested might I ask? It was just a dream, not much unlike the other ones I've been having recently."

She looked down at the floor, then looked up. She gave me a look I hadn't seen before. She seemed concerned, but there was something else. Was it lust? "You said my name last night, in your sleep I mean." Her revelation hit me like a brick wall. My heart dropped, and my beat hastened. I could feel my cheeks burning up. I suddenly felt like I couldn't bare her gaze.

"Jenn...I uh, need to eat and suit up. I'm sure the General will want me first thing. I need to go." I got up abruptly and walked towards the exit.

"Wait! Jake, there's something I need to tell-" The door shut behind me and her voice was cut off.

I stood at the other side of the door for a few seconds, debating whether or not to go back in. I decided to walk for a while, maybe get some fresh air while I was at it. _Fuck, she knows. There's no way she didn't put two and two together. And especially how I've been flirting with her recently. I don't know how I'll get myself out of this...Do I_ want _to get myself out of this one?_ Once more I weighed the options. Still I was nowhere. I stopped and turned to see a balcony. A metal railing was the only thing obstructing the view of the coming sunrise, as the rest of the structure was made of glass. I suddenly felt a compulsion, and went looking for the PX. Few people were there, so it seemed like I would have an easy time getting what I needed. The cashier gave me a bit of an amazed look when I first approached him, which turned to confusion when I handed him the Zippo lighter and Cuban cigar. Still though, he gave me my products and I was on my way. I made a beeline for the balcony and hunched over the railing. I put the cigar in my mouth and lit it. The lighter made a satisfying cling sound as I turned it off and put it back in my pocket. I looked out into the distance. The first rays of sun were beginning to bathe the city in soft golden light. Despite all that had happened yesterday and this morning, I couldn't help but feel relaxed. No, it was more than that. I felt at peace.

"You know, that shit will kill you." I turned around to see Pulowski, looking not much better than he did when we arrive last night. I laughed at his comment.

"Yeah, because I'm worried about one cigar killing me. Riiight." He walked up beside me. "Beautiful isn't it," he said. "One of the thing I miss most about Reach was waking up in New Alexandria and watching the sun go up. I don't think I'll ever forget that." He sighed. "Looks like that'll be just a memory now. Thanks to those Covvie fucks. God I wish I could kill them all."

"I take it you didn't sleep last night."

"Yeah, I didn't sleep very well. Only got maybe an hour or two maybe, who knows. I couldn't keep my mind off the day," he said.

"It was your first time, wasn't it? In combat I mean."

"Yeah. Mind if I have a light? I got some cigs and I could use the distraction right now."

"Sure thing man," I said as I gestured for him to come closer. I cupped my hands as he puffed a few clouds from the newly lighten cigarette. "Thanks man, I need this." A few seconds passed by. I felt like I had to say something to cheer him up. "You know, you performed well yesterday. Commendably in fact. I'd say with a little more experience under your belt, you'd definitely be ODST material." He looked up with a smile on his face and a glint in his eye.

"Really? You mean that?"

"Of course. You should talk to Barnes about it when this is all over. I'm sure he could pull some strings and get you in the program." He gave me a pat on the back. "Thanks man, really, I mean it. Thank you. Come on, let's get some breakfast." He motioned to follow him. I guess he already figured out where the mess was.

We were joined by the helljumper, who proceeded to tell us about the best night of sleep in his entire life. We got our lunch as the two troopers talked about the ODST program. Me, I zoned out, still thinking about Jennifer. Barnes must have noticed how quiet I was at the table because he asked if I was "all right".

"Yeah, I'm good man. Thanks."

"Come on and cut the bullshit, what's the matter? You haven't said a word to me since I said hi."

"It's nothing Barnes." He stared at me for a few seconds. I broke under peer pressure: "Alright, it's some girl trouble. That's all, not a big deal or anything." A devilish look appeared in his eyes and I instantly regretted telling him anything.

"So who rejected your ass, Jake?" He gave a hearty laugh.

"I wasn't rejected, although I do appreciate your sympathy dickweed."

"What's the deal then bro? Has my brave Spartan fallen in love with one of his squadmates? Ooooh, is it Alaina the Corpsman? Granted, she's too manly for my taste, but everyone's entitled to her own opinion dude."

Fed up with his bullshitting, I decided to give him the deadly knife-hand. "No, it's not her, or anyone in the squad for that matter. And even if it was, I wouldn't tell you. Now fuck off with this shit already and let me enjoy my meal. It might be my last real one before the Major General sends me on some asinine mission again." As if on cue, Lieutenant Morrison entered the room and began walking towards me. "Oh God," I murmured as I put put my head in my arms. The two Marines turned around to see the source of my misfortune and immediately began to giggle like schoolgirls upon seeing one of my favorite people. They barely contained their laughter as he arrived at our table. "Petty Officer." I got up and saluted him, which he returned crisply.

"Yes sir. What is it that you need sir?"

"Major General Andropova wants you to suit up and come to the briefing room immediately. You're to be filled in on your next mission."

"Alright sir, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Very well, and...try not to be late." I saluted him once more and he left our presence. "Well, looks like I get some time away from you assholes. Cheerio." I said as I walked away. The giggling turned into open laughter as I departed the room.

Fifteen minutes later and I was suited up and at the door to the briefing room. I went in and was shocked to see along with a seated General Andropova, was a hologram of Dr. Catherine Halsey. She gave me a warm, motherly smile. It always made me felt weird. Admittedly, I had a few moments of weakness as a child where I cried in her arms, but outside of that I never viewed her as anything more than a caregiver. The thought that she viewed me as one of her own made me uncomfortable. It had been about two years since I'd last seen her. The years had taken their toll on her, and it seemed far longer.

"Hello, Jake. It's good to see you."

"It's been a while," I replied with little emotion.

"It has. I wish you would talk to me more often. I miss you, just like I miss all my Spartans." "I'm sorry," I replied defensively. There was a bit of guilt in my voice. "I've just been busy recently." She gave me a sad smile.

"I know you have."

"Where are you right now though? I take it you got off Reach, thankfully."

"It's hard to explain. Onyx, but the planet is proving to be more than we initially thought it was. It seems as though the Covenant has become interested in it too. I'm in good hands though, don't worry. Chief Mendez is here, as is Blue Team minus John." I was a bit surprised by the last statement.

"Fred? Is he with you?" Fred-104 was one of the few Spartans I could understand and communicate with deeply, and had been my best friend for many years. "Yes, would you like to talk with hi-" Andropova cut us off. "Please, can we keep the pleasantries for later? I have a briefing I'd like to give out so you can be on your way, Spartan." The Doctor and I apologized. As much as I hated to admit it, she was in the right. "Please, Doctor. You may begin."

"Well, ok..." She turned to face me. "Jake, as you know, three months ago BXR Corporation unearthed an ancient subterranean structure. It is my belief, along with many at ONI, that this complex is Forerunner in nature. We haven't been able to explore it much, with Reach and all, so you'll be doing most of that yourself with your AI. Whatever it is, it must be quite important for the Covenant to not only refrain from glassing the planet, but from continuing their attack on the city as well. We need you to slip in and investigate what it is before the Covenant find it. And if it's a threat, we need you to destroy it. Now, to you Major General."

"Yes, we are quite fortunate that Mr. Silverman, despite the _tragic_ loss of his daughter, gave us the necessary information on it's location." I shot Andropova a dirty look, and Halsey looked at me with confusion, not knowing the events of the night before. "A Pelican will ferry you to the dig site on Epoch at 1200 hours. From there you will investigate the site, determine the purpose of the complex, and destroy it if need be. We will insert you here, at the mouth of the cave. That will be the extent of support you will receive until a Pelican picks you up here, in this forest to the east, at 2300 hours. Do you have any questions?" I gave myself a few seconds. It seemed like an obvious plan, although I didn't particularly like the idea of operating alone, with noone to support me if things went south. "No ma'am, that will be all." I gave her a crisp salute, and nodded towards Dr. Halsey.

"Goodbye Catherine. Say hi to Fred for me."

"Of course, and Jake?" "Yes?"

"Stay safe, ok?"

"I will, don't worry." I gave her a brief smile and left the room.

I returned to my room to get Jennifer. I held her in my hand for a moment, studying her true form before putting her in one of my pouches. I didn't feel like talking to her until the ride. I couldn't help but feel the relationship was impossible given the fact that she wasn't even really a person. Shortly, I was on a Pelican, and I put her in the AI slot. She was strangely quiet this time, and I felt guilty about walking out like I did, and waiting to plug her back in. The Pelican took off and we made our way out of the city and into the countryside. Towards Epoch. Towards the unknown.


	9. Chapter 9

I checked the time on my TACPAD. We had been flying for six hours. At this point I was getting anxious to get on with my mission. The Pelican flew with the rear door open to give me a nice view, although I wasn't sure if it could be qualified as such. All I saw during the flight was strips of mines, some forest, and the occasional town. I was bored as hell too. Anxiety and boredom. Not a good combination. I didn't want to be that guy, but I needed an update on our position, and I walked towards the pilot.

"Hate to ask, but are we there yet?"

The pilot gave me a brief glance and looked at her instrument panel. "Says here we should be at the LZ in 15 minutes. I'd get my things in order if I were you."

"Alright, thanks for the heads up". I walked back to my seat. _Thank god, we're almost there_ I thought to myself. I took my DMR off my back and slid on the quick-detach suppressor, then gave it a solid yank to the right to secure it. I chambered a round and put the gun on safe, and did the same with my M6S.

"Expecting company?" said the AI for the first time during the flight.

"Hey, you never know," I replied.

"Well, I hope we find whatever it is we're looking for and get the hell out of here ASAP. I can't imagine it will take the Covenant that long to find this place, especially if they've moved their fleet to do so. And while I'm quite confident in your combat abilities, we don't have any backup and I'd prefer not to engage a Covenant battlegroup. Personally speaking of course."

I sighed. "Well, if we do get jumped, I guarantee you I'll bring down more than my share of Xenos, thank you very much,"

"Hey, there's two of us in here, in case you forgot."

"Yeah, I guess being stuck inside lifeless armor would be a pretty shitty existence, wouldn't it?"

"It's more than that Jake. Just...be careful, for my sake, OK? I don't know what I'd do without you."

The last sentence made a pit in my stomach. Even me, never experiencing love in my life, could tell she had feelings for me. Deeper than a friend. She...loved me. And I was afraid I was beginning to love her. Normally, being afraid to love someone would be stupid, but an AI? How cringe-worthy is that? Falling in love with a fucking robot because you can't get anyone real. I hated myself for feeling this way, but in a way, I still felt a little bad. Why should I care what people think, as long as we're happy? Once again, the consideration came back to me. Perhaps it would work. Somehow, although I wasn't really sure how.

I felt the Pelican slow down. "We're about to touch down. Get ready!" _Thank God, now I have something else to preoccupy my mind._ The Pelican stopped mid-air, just a few inches above the ground. I jumped off and did a quick sweep with my rifle as the Pelican took off. I switched to thermal and IR imaging. No sign of contacts. I breathed a sigh of relief and took in my surroundings.

The mining grounds seemed like something out of a fairy tale. It had seemed as though ONI had dug up more of the site then I was initially told. Strange, triangular structures littered the area. Despite a few overgrown vines, the site seemed untouched despite being hundreds of thousands of years old. I approached one of the shiny buildings. I delicately put my hand on it. I was greeted with the feeling of strong, solid metal. "Wow..." I whispered. It sure seemed like the Forerunners knew how to build their shit. I looked to my left and saw a massive opening in the earth. It seemed large enough to fly a Pelican in. Snapping back to the situation, I asked Jenn where the entrance to the facility lay.

"About a click away from here, deep inside that cave."

"Think I need a hardhat?" I gave her a playful smile. She laughed.

"You know what hun? Something tells me you armor will do a decent enough job."

I turned on the flashlight mounted on my helmet. "Something tells me you're right." I sprinted the kilometer and arrived at a massive door. Besides me was a console with a small slit in it, covered in alien writing. I couldn't make out any of it.

"Here, put me in that slot over there. I'll try and get the door open." said the AI construct.

"Alright, here goes nothing." I yanked her from the slot in my helmet and put her in the opening. Much to my surprise, it was a perfect fit for the slit, and the door opened a few seconds later. I plugged the AI back in my helmet. I was truly awestruck by the interior. Rays of light were situated in strips along the entire room. Much of the floor was made up of see-through glass. Sturdy, but making me feel a bit uneasy looking down at what seemed like an endless abyss. The entire building was made of a kind of metal that looked absolutely spectacular bathed in the soft glow of the blue light.

"Wow...beautiful isn't it," said Jenn.

"I've never seen anything like it. Never _dreamed_ anything like it, really. It's..amazing."

"Well, we'd better move on instead of sight-seeing," she said. "As much as I appreciate the architecture, we do have a job to do y'know."

I felt embarrassed on being reminded to focus on my mission, especially by an AI. I decided to follow her advice. "Can you give me some directions? I have no clue as to where to go now."

"Sure. I was able to learn a great deal just from being plugged in. It seems we're found this 'Cartographer' the Zealots were talking about earlier. The information I was able to gather seems to suggest that it's an area of great knowledge, so that seems like a good start. I'll give you a waypoint on your HUD."

The familiar blue point appeared on my heads up display, and I slowly made my way towards it with my rifle at low ready. Entering into the next room, I found myself overlooking a great chasm. There was a small lip before an imaginary bridge reached the other site, which led to another great door.

"Well, this looks like the end of the line. Any ideas?" I inquired of the AI.

"Hmm...Try pressing the button on the console to your right. If my data was correct, a 'light bridge' should appear."

I delicately pressed in the button, and before my eyes a blue path appeared.

"Holy shit... Are you sure this is safe Jenn?"

"It should be."

"Well, if you say so." I gingerly stuck one foot onto part of bridge. Much to my surprise, it held. "Son of a bitch," I muttered, and carefully walked across the path. I arrived at the other side, and opened the great door in front of me. Inside was nothing, save for a single control console. I tentatively made my way towards it. I couldn't help but think of the opening to _Raiders of the Lost Ark_.

"That must be the Cartographer. Be a dear and put me in, will you?"

"Uh, sure thing." I put her in the control slot.

Suddenly, the main door behind me closed, and I was left in darkness. I immediately raised my weapon, and switched to night vision mode. "Jennifer! What happened? Are you all right?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a faint blue glow. I instinctively turned around, weapon drawn. I holstered the rifle as soon as I saw what was in front of me.

It was Jennifer. Or a hologram of Jennifer, but she was life-size. She had on a skin-tight garment, showing off all of her well endowed curves. And she seemed more...corporeal somehow. I was speechless. _How was this possible?_ She slowly walked towards me, before stopping about 10 feet away. "Jennifer. How...?"

"It's an advanced semi-physical projection system used by the Cartographer. I just modified it for my own use." She paused and gave me a sad smile. "You know, you never did let me finish what I wanted to say this morning."

"I know Jenn. I'm sorry. It's just that I..." I was at a loss for words.

"That you've fallen in love with me, but didn't know how to express it?" Her words were true. I knew that, as did she. I looked down at the floor. I was ashamed of how I acted towards her, the women I loved. _Like a coward_ I thought as I let out a long sigh. She moved closer to me until she was almost touching my body.

Gently, she reached out her hand and put it on my arm. "It's ok. It's just that, I've noticed from your sleep habits and what you've confided in me that you... _need_ someone. Somebody to love, Jake. And the question I wanted to ask was...'Can I be that person?'"

I looked up. She had the sweetest look on her face. There was not a single doubt in my mind that she loved me then. A woman had never looked at me like that before. I realized that she was the one for me, damned be anyone else that said otherwise. I truly did love her, and she loved me. That kind of companionship was all I ever wanted.

"Jenn, come here." She embraced me, as I did her. Somehow, her body felt warm against mine, and I could still feel...something. She took her head off my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. "Jake. Please, take off your helmet." I popped it off and let it drop to the floor. Carefully, she let her hand run alongside my face. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I've waited so long to do that," she said. There was a sense of satisfaction in her voice, but a hint of sadness as well. I guess she had always loved me. I could suddenly feel tears streaming down my cheeks as her hand left my body. She began backing away from me.

"What's the matter Jenn?"

"I've detected Covenant forces landing outside the dig site. I'm sorry Jake, I wish this moment could last forever."

I just stood there for a few seconds before I put on my helmet. "I know," was all I could muster to say. I took out the explosive charge and put it on the back of the console. If we had to blow up the Cartographer, it would have to be done. "You have to yank me Jake. I'll fill you in on what the Cartographer is on our way outside. I'm sorry it had to end this way Jake."

"Me too." I sighed. I plugged her into my helmet. "Come on, let's get going," I said as I ran off towards the entrance. There was a strange feeling in my heart. Both an intense happiness and sadness. I wasn't sure which was the right one.


	10. Chapter 10

I slowed down as I made my way towards the lightbridge. For such an advanced civilization, the Forerunners neglected to add safety railings and I wasn't in the mood to fall off.

"So...What exactly is this place?" I asked. It took a few seconds for my AI to respond. Such an occurance was rare among AIs. Jenn composed herself and made her response.

"Well, I took in a lot of new information from the Cartographer itself. Well, first of all let me explain that the Cartographer is just the key to the lock. It's basically a giant map of all the Forerunner facilities on the planet. But here's the kicker. There's only one other than this."

"Only one? That's odd. Do you know it's purpose?"

"Yes," She replied hastily. "It seems to be some form of advanced medical facility constructed for an 'Ur-Didact'. I don't know who exactly that is but I would imagine he would have been quite important to warrant his own medical site."

"Great, the Covenant will think he's a god of some sort and that's it some sort of divination machine." I sighed. "Do you have any idea of it's capabilities?"

"Unfortunately, no. Looks like I'll be in for a surprise just like you," she added with a bit of play.

I wasn't really feeling it. Having my heart broken just a few minutes before and another engagement in another few meant I wasn't exactly in high spirits. I didn't know what to say, so I put the suppressor on my DMR's quick-detach flashhider. I couldn't help but think of what had happened earlier. Her declaration of love to me, and my acceptance of that fact. It was all so new to me.

"Your heart rate's rising. Are you ok?" inquired Jenn.

"I'm fine." was all I could manage to say. I decided to bring my focus to the mission, and activated my active camouflage as I stepped off the lightbridge. I turned the bridge off and searched for a good position. I found a nice corner and went prone, activating my grippod as I laid down. About a minute later, a group of red blips appeared on my radar, near the door to the chasm. I took a deep breath as the massive door opened.

Out came three Zealots, weapons drawn. That was standard fare for investigating Forerunner sites and relics. What I saw next surprised me. Behind them were six brutes in with their shaggy fur. Not only were Brutes uninvolved in such matters of high religion, they had a fierce rivalry with the Elites. There had been a few instances during the war where we had found bodies of Brutes and Elites that had seemingly killed each other out of spite. I focused my aim on the tallest Brute. Unlike the others, his fur was more grayish in color, and he wielded a Gravity Hammer. No doubt he was a Chieftain. He sniffed the air and looked around the room carefully. It seemed he found nothing to pique his interest, and he spoke up.

"It seems as though we are the first to enter here in a very long time, Shipmaster. The lightbridge hasn't been activated and I don't smell any humans." growled the Brute. The Elites seemed on edge, and despite the news, they remained alert. I suspected the tension came from the presence of the Brutes. The Elite at the head of the formation turned his head halfway, and then turned to meet the gaze of the Brute. His Energy Sword still remained activated. I shifted my aim to him, and aimed the scope's reticle on his head.

"You are right Cassius. But I still feel something wrong. As if we are not alone."

Another Zealot with a plasma rifle turned towards him. "I feel it too, brother."

The Brute seemed confident, almost triumphant. The whole scene was unsettling. "Relax, Shipmaster. We have been blessed by those who came before us to discover the Cartographer and it's secrets first. _Not_ the humans. With the discovery of this site, and that of the Sacred Ring, the Path to the Great Journey awaits!"

 _Sacred Ring? What the hell was that?_ I thought.

The Elite with the Energy Sword paused for a few moments. "There is something that troubles me as well, Cassius. Why are you here? It is not the Jiralhanae's place to search for holy relics. That matter of pride is for the Shangheili. Why have the Prophets assigned you to this mission, instead of more of my own men?" he said. I could see the grip tighten on his Energy Sword.

Cassius stared at him for a moment and started laughing. "Concerned with honor now, Shipmaster? Yes, it was a shame what happened to you early in the war. But I will tell you why the ordered me on this mission, Shipmaster. To ensure the Jiralhanae pave the way for the Great Journey, and the elimination of you and your pathetic race!"

In an instant, the Brute leader raised his Gravity Hammer over his head, and his comrades drew their weapons on the Elites. "No!" exclaimed the Shipmaster. Cassius attempted to strike down the Shipmaster, however the Elite proved to be incredibly agile. The Brute growled in frustration as the Elite crouched and then jumped out of the way of the gravity well with amazing speed. One of the other Elites was not as fortunate as one of the other Brutes shot him with two Maulers, one in each hand. While too far away to instantly kill him, the sheer force of the projectiles propelled him over the ledge. His screams could barely be heard of the sounds of the melee. I took aim at his killer and put a round in between his dome. He dropped to the floor with a satisfying thud as I shifted my aim to another of the Brutes. An Elite armed with a Plasma Rifle beat me to the kill however. It peppered the ape-like creature with a line of plasma fire that started from the stomach and ended at it's head. Amazingly, the Brute stood still for a second before it leaned backwards and fell flat on it's back, dead. The Elite spat on it's body, but had not disengaged. Another Brute with a spiker had snuck up behind him and hit the Elite with the blades on his weapon. This drained the Elite of his shields, and the Brute kicked him to the ground. The brute squeezed off a few spikes into the base of the Elite's head, and he stopped struggling as violet blood started oozing out of his skull. Letting him take care of the Elite, I snapped my aim to the exposed neck of the Brute and squeezed the trigger. A 7.62 bullet pierced his throat, and he dropped to the floor with his hands on his neck. As he made a strange gurgling sound, I put a round on his dome, knocking off the armor plate, following off with another round in his cranium in quick succession. He had a short spasm, firing off a few rounds from his Spiker in my direction.

"Shit!" I tried to roll out of the way of fire but I was too late. Two had struck my armor, disabling my active camouflage. As I materialized, I could see my presence being recognized by my enemies. The remaining Covenant paused in surprise for just a split second, and stared at me. The Shipmaster took advantage of the moment and stabbed another Brute. The remaining Brutes were confused on who to engage. I aimed center mass at one who began to raise his weapon at me and fired a three rounds.. He fell to his knees, and I put a round through the front of his head as he fell forward. I shifted my aim to the Shipmaster but what I saw next was truly incredible.

The last brute seemed to be protecting Cassius with his life. He was firing with his Spiker but mostly missing the Elite. The Shipmaster sprinted towards him, ducked, and jumped up above him. With one quick arc, he cut the Brute's head clean off his body. He then used the Brute's shoulders as a stepping stone for a lunge towards Cassius. The Shipmaster extended his Energy Sword back away from him as far as he could, and then thrust it forward for all of his might. The Brute was fast, but not fast enough. He deflected the Energy Sword with the shaft of his Gravity Hammer, preventing the sword from stabbing him in the chest. However, this caused the blade to angle towards his arm, and it was sliced clean off. Cassius howled in pain at the loss of his appendage. I fired twice at his direction, hitting skin but not seeming to cause any critical damage. The Shipmaster went diving for cover behind the control console and Cassius ran towards the entrance, leaving little spots of purple blood behind him. In an instant, I had lost my sight of him, and I cursed having missed my opportunity.

I saw a flash of golden movement in my peripheral vision. I looked to my left and saw the lone Elite charging towards me with his Energy Sword. I raised my weapon slightly to engage him, expending the rest of the magazine to draw down his shields. I heard a click, and transitioned to my sidearm. He moved with blinding speed, and he was almost on top of me. I raised my pistol but he jumped out of my line of fire, using the wall next to me to pivot towards me. The last thing I saw was the look of rage in his eyes.

. . .

I knew I wasn't dead from the sharp pain in my head. I groaned as my head touched the ground. Somehow my helmet had been taken off. Was I in a hospital? I gingerly opened my eyes and realized my situation was much worse.

It was nighttime. Somehow, I was in a forest. And across from me was the Shipmaster. I instinctively went for my pistol but found my hands and feet were energy cuffs. I saw the Shipmaster make a slight motion for his Energy Sword hilt, but retract as he realized of my pacification.

"You son of a bitch!" I cried out. "I'll fucking gut you for this I swear to-"

"Save your energy for the fight ahead, Demon. We will both need it." He replied evenly.

"What the fuck are you talking about, split-jaw? I'd rather die than help your fucking Covenant."

"Then it is good for you that the Prophets have deemed my species unworthy of the Path, or so it seems."

I couldn't believe what he was suggesting. "You must be smoking some crazy shit to think I would work with an Elite, let alone a Zealot. You've probably killed thousands of people just to get to your rank you piece of shit!"

"Listen!" he replied angrily as his hand wrapped into a fist. "I have no time or interest to argue with you. We need each other's assistance or the treacherous Jiralhanae will have our heads! Don't you realize that if I had wanted you dead, I would have killed you at the Cartographer?"

 _Shit_ , I thought.I had completely forgotten about the Cartographer.

"What about the it. Did you destroy it?"  
"Yes Demon, I blew it up with your detonator. But now we must leave, or the Jiralhanae will pick up on our scent...Can I trust you not to kill me?"

I couldn't believe what was happening. I sure as hell didn't trust him, but he was right. He could have killed me at the Cartographer or at any point before now. And no doubt the Covenant were now thick in the area after discovering a Forerunner relic. I would need all the help I could get.

I took a deep breath. "Alright...you have my word. Now would you mind unshackling me?"

"As you wish." was all he said. As he did so, he kept his hand on the hilt the entire time. He was incredibly tense. I got up and rubbed the back of my head with my hands.

"Your helmet and weapons are by the tree. I suggest you take them."

"Yeah, no shit." was my reply. I put my helmet on and holstered my pistol. I picked up my DMR and took the empty magazine out of it, replacing it with a new one. I racked the bolt, causing a satisfying metallic sound that caught his eye.

"I don't plan on letting go of my weapon anytime soon," I said.

"As do I. Something else, Demon. I'm sure you've killed many thousands of my kind as well. I think that makes us...even." He turned his gaze ahead of him and started walking. I took up the rear.


	11. Chapter 11

"So...are we going anywhere in particular?" I said as I followed him. I assumed the Pelican had either left the area, or was shot down. I would have gone back to look for any survivors in case it was destroyed, but they'd be dead by now. I sighed as the thought crossed my mind. _More dead kids, great_.

"We are going deeper into the forest until sunrise. The Jiralhanae will stop looking after a few hours, they are more interested in searching for the Venerable Instrument."

 _What the hell is a Venerable Instrument?_ I thought. _Did he mean the medical center?_

"Venerable Instrument? What's that?" I inquired. He paused for a moment and turned to face me, seemingly turning over the thought in his mind.

"Yes, you probably wouldn't have heard of it. After we pacified Reach, we discovered a series of texts from the Holy Ones. One talked of a device with great transformative qualities. One that would makes us Reclaimers. This is the Venerable Instrument. My fleet was dispatched from High Charity to scourge the galaxy for the Instrument. The Prophets believed that it was the key to activating one of the Sacred Rings, as only a Reclaimer would be able to use it. By chance, our Luminary picked up signs of a Forerunner artifact on a nearby planet. We arrived just as your ship did."

 _So that's how they found Charon_. _I guess I was half-right about the bad luck after all._

"And a 'Sacred Ring'?"

"The Sacred Rings are the devices which the Holy Ones used to achieve transcendence. They are the pillars of our faith, and we found the location of one in a text. I'm unsure of what happened to it though."

"I see...And the fleet was your own?"

" Yes, the Twenty-Third Fleet of Harmonious Transcendence. Although it seems that it is not my fleet anymore. Shipmaster is no longer an apt title for me it seems."

I paused for a moment. "So what should I call you?"

"You may call me Kor 'Tahamee...What shall I call you? 'Demon' is an unfit term for an ally, even one as begrudging as you."

"Call me Jake," I replied.

"Well then 'Jake', we have talked for too long." He turned around. "We must be on our way."

We hiked for an hour before he seemed to find a suitable spot to rest. He suggested taking first watch, but not trusting him, I volunteered to take watch the entire night. Much to his chagrin, he accepted and laid down to sleep, although his hand did not leave the hilt of his sword. I couldn't blame him. I leaned against a true, enjoying sitting down after the hike.

 _I wouldn't have been in this situation had the General not_ ordered _me to rest_ I thought. _What a stupid fucking decision. I could have gone straight to the Cartographer and reported back and avoided these asshats by several hours. Useless fucker. Too bad I can't reprimand her, that'd be nice. Maybe Halsey can..._

Halsey. My skin tingled with the thought of her. She had been so caring to me this morning. Like she was my mother. Her love always felt...unnatural to me. I wondered if she loved me as her own creation, like a child, or as the culmination of all her work. I had seen her deal with people outside the SPARTAN-II program and she seemed egotistical to say the least. She seemed to despise the IIIs because they were not her own. Or maybe it was because ONI had perfected her technology. I was never sure. She seemed like such an enigma at times. I could make out her emotions, but never did I know _why_ she was feeling them. She told me one time that she had a biological daughter. I couldn't imagine how she was raised. I never saw her, so I assumed she was with the father.

Would she care about her own child like she did with us? What if her kid died? Would she care like Mr. Silverman would, even though she wasn't a physical culmination of her life's work? I came to the conclusion that her daughter didn't live with her for reasons other than Halsey's job. Catherine Halsey didn't strike me as a particularly good mother.

My thoughts shifted towards my own parent. Something that always bugged me was what happened to her after my abduction Did they have someone take my place? Or did she think I was dead, or still to this day missing? I wasn't sure which was worse. Suddenly, I felt a new feeling rise. Guilt. Guilt for getting caught, of what that must have done to her. And I couldn't help about think about Danielle, how I was unable to save her. I worried that I had again caused someone to feel such distress about their child. I let out a shaky sigh. _I'm so sorry Mom. Sorry that I couldn't stop them from taking me away from you. And I'm sorry Danielle. For not being able to protect you either._ I felt tears well up, and tore my helmet off and let it fall to the ground. I couldn't take it anymore. I put my hands to my face and cried. Cried for the first time in a long time. It was terrible, uncontrollable sobbing. I felt useless, worthless. And I worried about Jennifer. _Would I be unable to protect her too?_ I cried and cried until I couldn't cry anymore.

I dry-heaved air, my tears having left my body. I sat there for what seemed like an eternity. I had never felt so awful in my entire life. I put my helmet back on. I desperately needed to talk to Jenn.

I switched the commutations suite so that only Jenn could hear what I was saying, and vice versa. As soon as the hermetic seal was established, Jenn's face appeared on my HUD communications panel. She had never done this before.

"Jake, are you OK? What's wrong?" I could tell from the look on her face she was very concerned.

"Jenn, I-I'm scared." I replied shakily. "I'm scared that I can't protect you, like I couldn't protect Danielle or my mother. I'm sorry."

"Jake," her expression softened, but there was a certain sadness present with her that I hadn't seen before. "I trust you with my life. I _know_ you can keep me safe. The Captain could have picked any other person to protect me, but he chose you. Because you were the strongest and most capable out of anyone on the _Vienna_. And there's something else, Jake." A sad smile appeared on her face.

"What is it?"

"I trust you because I love you."

I paused for a moment, thinking about what she said. I began to feel better as I processed what she said. "I know you do, Jenn. I love you too. I'm glad you became a part of my life."

"Thanks Jake. I just wish that...that I could be there with you." She frowned and looked down.

"Jenn, I want you to know that I love you just the way are. You're perfect."

She smiled again and met my gaze, but didn't reply for a few seconds. I could tell that she was unhappy with being an AI.

"Do you remember a few nights ago when we talked about what we wanted in life?"

"Of course," I replied.

"Do you remember what I said?"

"I do. You said that you wanted to feel love. And you wanted to be human."

"I've been able to experience one of those things with you, Jake. But, I'll never be able to _be_ with you. What happened at the Cartographer was amazing Jake, but it wasn't...real. I had data about your geometry and your molecular structure, but I didn't _feel_ your skin or the heat of your body, Jake." She was starting to choke up. "And that's what hurts most of all. To be so close yet so far."

"It's OK Jenn. I know how you feel. But you need to know that doesn't matter to me. I'm just glad that I've found someone to call my own, and that it was you."

She took a while to compose herself. "Thanks Jake. You always know how to make me feel better."

"I do try you know," I said. I just sat there for a few moments. Neither of us said anything, we just enjoyed each other's company.

Suddenly I heard a twig snap. "Shit!" I whispered as I dropped to the prone position and switched my rifle off Safe. I switched the communications suite to open and tapped Kor with my foot as I turned my head towards him.

"Kor. Kor! Wake up!"

The 8 foot tall elite tossed and fidgeted as he came out of his slumber.

"What is it human?" he said loudly.

"Shhh! I think I hear something! Listen!"

I could hear more movement in the brush ahead of me. I motioned to him to stay down while I looked at what it was with my IR module, but instead he growled and stood up, activating his energy sword as he went up.

"Contact front!" I heard someone yell into the distance, and a split second later the sound of gunfire erupted ahead of us. I saw a squad of 8 Marines ahead of us, shooting the shrubbery around us.

"Get down you fucking idiot!" I yelled as I grabbed the Elite by the leg and dragged him down. It wasn't really hard with my power armor.

"Cease fire! Cease fucking fire you assholes! You're firing on friendlies!" I screamed as I stood up from cover, hoping that they would see me on their IFF. A few rounds hit my armor but the gunfire stopped shortly after.

"Jake?" I heard a familiar voice say. It was Barnes. He motioned for the rest of the squad to stay put and rushed over towards me. Kor got up carefully, but sheathed his energy sword so as not to present a threat. Despite my size and armor, he still towered over me. When Barnes arrived, he took his helmet off, seemingly to verify that what he was seeing was real. He stared at me with his mouth agape, as his gaze shifted between the alien and I.

"What the fu-...how?" he said.

"It's a long story. I'll tell it to you later," I replied. "How'd you find us?"

"We uh...we kinda went AWOL looking for you when we heard the Pelican hadn't picked you up. I guess we just got lucky, we were about to turn back when I saw... _this_ fucker." He gestured towards the Elite with a snarl.

 _Good, seems like the Pelican didn't get shot down_ I thought. "Barnes, I need to know if you brought any transport with you. I found something very important and we have to get there pronto. Can you get me there?" I noticed a look of confusion on Kor, and a wicked smile on Barnes.

"Sure thing slick. We may or may not have 'requisitioned' some Falcons and their pilots. Normally I would suggest reporting back to our favorite General, but seeing as we're probably wanted by the MPs by now, I think we should just be own our merry fuckin' way. Come on bro. Hope you don't mind another ruck."

I laughed. "I _really_ missed hiking Barnes. It seems like whenever you show up, I go for a hike."

"Guess I'm just bad luck then"

"Guess so."

He put his helmet on. "Come on shithead, we've got work to do."


	12. Chapter 12

I had filled in the squad of the recent developments during the hike. The march to the Falcons was, aside from a few scares, relatively uneventful. The VTOLs were nestled in a small grassy clearing, and I could barely make out some mountains in the back. In another life, it would have made for a beautiful photo. We split the squad into two groups of 5 for each Falcon. It would be cramped, but it would suffice. Myself, Kor, and the three ODSTs would ride in one chopper, while the Marines would ride in the other. The relief was almost palpable when the Marines were told they wouldn't be riding with the Elite. I was just about to climb aboard my bird when Barnes pulled me aside.

"Hey, Jake, ya got a minute?"

"Sure, what is it?" I replied.

He motioned me to follow him out of earshot of the rest, so I obliged.

"I gotta be honest slick, I've been with you 100% of the time before this. But not now. Gonna be frank, I don't trust your new friend. And I know I'm not the only person in the squad that feels this way." I had gotten to know Barnes pretty well at this point but I had never seen this confrontational side of him before.

"Alright, first of all, he's not my friend. I don't like him any more than you do, but I do owe him my life and we could use the extra pair of hands. And second, I don't trust him either, but I watched his squad be betrayed and murdered by a bunch of Brutes. _On orders of the Prophets_. So I don't think he's a Covenant spy. In fact, I don't think he's Covenant at all anymore. And he had a thousand chances to kill me or hand me over to the Covenant, but I'm still here. Either this is some ridiculously complicated attempt to kill me or find this Venerable Instrument, or he's here to help us."

Barnes was silent for a few moments, then shook his head. "I still don't trust the fucker." he said, and walked off towards the Falcon. I gave him his space and took my place at the mounted gun.

Our Falcon was armed with two MG460 Automatic Grenade Launchers, which were often referred to "Agiles" in slang. Belt fed and select-fire, the destruction of the single-shot M319 was increased ten-fold in an incredible force-multiplyer. It was decided that myself and Kor would man the AGLs, as we were the most exposed with the best shielding and armor. As well as this, Kor would be unable to try anything from within the interior, as he'd have 3 ODSTs blast him into submission if he did. I got in and inspected the AGL. Satisfied with it being loaded and chambered, I kept it on "Safe" and leaned back into the provided seat. I fastened the seat-belt as my legs dangled over the side of the craft. I kicked my feet back and forth a bit like a child, not really caring if anyone saw it. I enjoyed the feeling and that was all that mattered. Barnes gave the Pilot the a-OK for takeoff, and the engines roared to life. The whine of the helicopter blades became louder and higher pitched as the jet engines provided a whoosh that would have been deafening if not for my armor.

"Pilot?" I asked.

"Yeah?" responded a woman with an English accent.

"When will we get there?"

"The valley you specified is about 3 hours from here if we move at top speed. We might have to slow down for stealth, but we should get there in about 4 in case that happens."

I thanked the pilot and realized I had some time to kill. A lot of time really. I took my helmet off and took the time to process the past eighteen hours. It had been my first time being able to do so. I thought about Jenn of course. I thought about what the future held for us, assuming there even was a future to begin with. _I wonder if she'd be able to leave the UNSC, or if I'd have to stay on assignments with her. Assuming we make it through this, I'd like to transition to civilian life, although I would rather be with her than have a normal life without her. And how would people react? Would the accept us? A Spartan and an AI. I can't think of an odder combination._

Barnes must have noticed my glassy-eyed stare as I felt a tap on my shoulder. One of the other ODSTs, Pushkin, told me in a thick Russian accent that he would take over on the gun, and that the Lieutenant wanted to speak to me. I hunched over towards Barnes, who had motioned me to come over to him.

"Somethin' on your mind?" he asked after he took off his helmet.

"Nothing."

"Nothin' my ass. I see you all stary-eyed over there. As your CO, I demand you tell me what's ogoing." This was the first time Barnes had truly pulled rank on me since I met him. But I knew he was concerned about me and my mental health, so I obliged.

"I guess you could say it's um..." I suddenly realized how much I didn't want to tell him about Jenn. "Girl trouble."

A wicked grin appeared on his face. Sometimes he really could be an asshole.

"So who'd you fuck when the General ordered you to stay put? I had a feelin' you weren't going to take that order lightly. Some nice Army POG eh? I imagined it wouldn't be hard for a Spartan to pick up a chick for a one-night stand."

"No, Barnes, I didn't fuck anybody at HQ. It's different than that."

He looked confused. "So who the fuck was it? If you boned any of the Marines on board the _Vienna_ I would have heard about it."

"For fuck's sake I didn't have sex with _anyone_. I'm still a virgin for your information."

"Alright, so you've fallen for someone. Who man? I don't see you really interacting with the rest of the Marines save for Pulowski, and I'm pretty sure neither of you are gay." He thought about it for a second, but in an instant his eyes went wide.

"No...Dude...Did you-did you fall in love with Jennifer?"

My gaze instantly hit the floor and I could feel my face heating up. I was probably blushing.

"Holy fucking shit...You know man, it's bad business falling in love in a warzone. I can tell you that personally."

"I know Barnes, but it's...different. Her being an AI that is." I paused. "What do you mean about knowing it personally?"

He sighed. "A few years ago, me and a trooper under my command had a thing together. It didn't really amount to anything more than a 'I'm scared and really horny so let's fuck' kind of thing, but still. It was an amount of compassion that shouldn't have been there... I always feel a sense of guilt when someone under my command dies, but I'm usually able to rationalize it in the big picture. But...it was different y'know? Us being a different kind of close and all. I've always struggled with her death, and the years haven't made it any better. And things certainly looked better than. And now with Reach gone? It's only a matter of time before they come knockin' on Earth dude."

"But she's an AI Barnes. She's _tied_ to me. The only way she dies, is if I die. It's a blessing and a curse, really. Of course, I technically don't have to worry about her as she's not a physical person under my command. But on the other hand, she's directly tied to my actions. I can accept it when someone else dies. I hate it, but it's a part of war. But if I fuck up? That's entirely on me. So in reality I worry twice as much about her, and myself for that matter."

He nodded his head. "I mean, if you're happy, then that's good. I'm just advising you on the risks."

"I know buddy. I appreciate the concern, really I do. Right now I just think I need some alone time, that's all. You know, to reflect."

"Alright. I understand. You do you brother...Pushkin! Our friend's going back on the Agile. You've been relieved." The Helljumper nodded and got up from the seat. I put my helmet on and took my position once more at the AGL. The sun had just begun to rise. I gasped as the sun's light bathed an enormous waterfall in a variety of orange-gold hues. It was truly remarkable.

"Oh my god...that's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen" said Jenn.

"That's one for the picturebooks" stated Pulowski over comms.

"Alright! We're about a klick North from the point you specified, Spartan. I see a small field on the right, I'm going to land us there," the pilot said.

"10-4! Alright Marines, get ready to move out when we land!" I replied. I got a variety of acknowledgments, and we landed shortly after.

We took a took a knee as I scanned to make sure the LZ was clear. Cycling through IR and Thermal modes, I saw nothing. Satisfied, I motioned for them to follow me as I took point. Not wanting to waste time, I had my squad run to the objective. We descended down a hilly forest, and soon found ourselves in a large valley. An enormous, rocky cliff was on the other side of the valley.

"Well, if my data is correct, the entrance is here...buried under that rock. Hmm. How do you think we get there?"

"Oh I know just the thing" I said with a mischievous smile. "Sierra 114 to Falcon Kilo 111, request fire support mission. 25 rounds, 40mm HE. Fuse time: zero. Uploading target co-ordinates to your HUD now." I lased the co-ordinates with my DMR and told the squad to stand back about a hundred meters. About a minute later, a distant droning sound could be heard. I looked up and saw my Falcon thunder overhead. It came down hovering just ahead and to the right of us. "Kilo 111 to Sierra 114, beginning fire support mission. Firing for effect. 40 out!" A slow but continuous "bloop" sound was heard, followed shortly by a cacophony of massive explosions.

"That good enough 114?" I waited for the dust to clear and got a good look at a large, metallic structure with lights on it. "Yeah, that's good enough Kilo 111. Thanks for the assist."

"No problem 114. Glad we could be of assistance." The VTOL took off, presumably towards the landing site.

"Marines! Form up!" I motioned for them to form a circle around me, which they did. "Here's the plan. Barnes, Kor, and I will investigate the structure. I'll need the rest of you to stay out here and pull security. If anything happens, hail us on comms as soon as you can. Got it?"  
"Yes sir!" they replied in unison. I turned to Barnes.

"Come on bro, let's go," I said. We walked out of earshot of the Marines when Barnes tugged on my shoulder.

"So what's the plan for us?" he asked

"Dude, I don't fuckin' know. I know as much about this place as you do. We'll have to play it by ear I guess. Come on, I'm kind of dying to find out what this place is."

He nodded and followed me. As we approached the entrance, we realized the door was actually not much taller or wider than me, and that most of the structure was actually just a wall.

"I had expected it to be...bigger," said Kor.

"Yeah," I replied. I went up to it to look for a door control panel, but the door opened automatically as I did. "Hey, that's neat" said Barnes. The interior of the site was pitch black. When I entered through the door, a series of lights went on automatically.

This interior was much more plain than the Cartographer. Save for a large strip of light down the middle and on the ceilings, there was no detailing inside whatsoever. The room was long and rectangular in shape, but ended abruptly at a strange looking raised platform. In front of us was a stand with holographic displays. As we got closer to it, we realized that it was an elevator. "Guess there's only one way down" I said as we got onto the platform. I pressed the most obvious display and away we went. The elevator traveled with extreme speed, just enough that we would fall at the same pace. However, I couldn't see any other floors on the way down. _This is either something really dangerous or some fucked up kind of medical center_ I thought to myself. Just as soon as we began, we started to slow down. We finally reached a small door that looked like it was made of three pieces, with a blue circular piece in the middle. I turned to Barnes and Kor.

"Stay here." I said. "If something happens to me in there, I want you to hoof it out of here and regroup with the group outside. Go directly to ONI with the location of the site, and don't think look back. Got it?" Barnes nodded, and Kor wished me good luck. I stepped forwards, and the door opened up for me.

Ahead of me was another door. However, it appeared sturdier than the one before it. Small bits of reinforcement could be seen on the door's three segments. But before I could think of what do next, the door behind me closed and an orange laser swept the room vertically. I flipped my rifle off safety, but a moment later the next door opened.

"What was that?" I asked of Jenn.

"A scanning signal of some sort."

"Probably an airlock then, scanning to make sure we weren't contaminated with radiation or something."

"I hope so," she replied. I took a deep breath and walked forward.

The path forked ahead of me. Below Forerunner symbols, three large, semi-circular doors were preceded by a meter-tall metallic cylinder. Lights pulsed through it which made it seem important. I found a slot for an AI chip and plugged in my companion. She appeared before me with the skin-tight clothing that I saw before at the Cartographer.

"Guess you like the new look." I said smugly.

"I think it looks good, don't you?" she said with a seductive smile.

"Hey, I wasn't complaining. You do look good in though. I mean _really_ good."

"Well, as much as I would enjoy modeling for you, we have a mission, remember?"

I looked down at the ground and rubbed the back of my neck. "Oh, uh, of course. So, is this the medical station you told me about?"

"Yes, or I think so. The doors to the left and right are 'modification' chambers. It appears that this Ur-Didact underwent extensive biological mutation here, but for what purpose, I have no idea. The middle door though..."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. It won't let me open it. I tried about ten thousand ways, but I kept on getting the same response every time: Reclaimer, Reclaimer, Reclaimer."

"What the hell is a Reclaimer?"

"I think it's a Forerunner term for humanity. See, I accessed the logs from the scan and among an analysis of every molecule of your armor and in your body, came the same term. I think it'll only open up if you try."

I took a deep breath. "Alright, here's hoping I don't suffer an agonizing death for this. Let's go." I said as untethered her from the console. I approached the door. Different from the others, the color of it's light was red rather than blue. Not seeing an obvious control panel, I tried pressing the door. Surprisingly, it opened before me, and lights went on as I entered.

The room was a sterile white and formed a rectangle with a hexagonal end. Half of the room was empty while the other was walled off by a rectangular pane of glass. In the middle of the divider was a white rectangular console with a rather obvious slit for an AI. Behind the glass was a interesting looking contraption. A slab of metal around 10 feet long rose up from the floor. It was surrounded on all sides by funnels mounted on the ground like upside-down fishooks. Above the slab sat a giant rectangular plume.

"Think that's the Venerable Instrument?" I asked.

"I-I guess so. Plug me into that slot and I'll see if I can figure out what it is."

I walked forward and placed my AI into the slit provided. Unlike other Forerunner consoles, however, this one swallowed the chip whole and sealed itself. I kneaded my eyebrows in confusion.

"Jenn, was that-"

The AI immediately appeared before me. However, she shone with a violet light, instead of the standard blue. "Normal?" I finished slowly.

"Amazing...The power..." Suddenly, she looked at me.

"Jake, I need to tell you something. What I'm about to do, I'm doing for _us_."

"Wait, what do you mea-"

The clear glass suddenly turned black. I heard a metallic thud, and turned around to find the door had locked behind me. I drew my DMR and fired at the black glass but they simply bounced off, not even leaving a scratch or marking.

"Barnes! Barnes do you read me! Jennifer's gone fucking mad!" I waited for a response but heard nothing.

I boosted my signal across any and all frequencies. "This is UNSC Spartan Sierra 114! AI unit JNF-0542-8 has gone AWOL and I'm trapped at co-ordinates 40.7128 degrees north, 74.0059 degrees west. Requesting immediate assistance." Nothing came back. I decided that either someone had heard me and couldn't respond or that she was jamming all of my communications. All I could do was wait.


	13. A note from the author

So, I thought I'd clear up a few things about the story because for whatever reason, I can't respond to a lot of the reviews you guys have put up.

As for Humanity knowing about the Forerunners, it seems that they were certainly a known thing within the more secretive circles of the UNSC. In the past 20 years of warfare, it would make sense that the UNSC or ONI would have stumbled upon various other Forerunner works, as well as heard of them through intel on the Covenant religion. For example a relic on Harvest was discovered as early as 2531. As well as this, they were certainly a known thing post-Reach, with Catherine Halsey discovering the Babd Catha ice complex.

I am aware that the UNSC has an Air Force. The Longswords that save the squad in Chapter 4 are part of a UNSCAF Squadron based on Charon II.

Lastly, I'm aware that the timeline of events as described in the story don't exactly line up with the timeline canonically. When I finish the story, I'm going to go back and re-write the first two-three chapters to make it fit better with the actual canon.

Hope you guys are enjoy the story so far, I've been pleased with the amount of feedback I've been getting recently. I always appreciate a recommendation or criticism or even just a "thanks", It really propels me as a writer that people are enjoying or even reading my stuff. So here's a thanks to all of you.

\- Sierra 114


	14. Chapter 13

I waited for what seemed like an eternity. I could tell by the time on my HUD that only an hour had passed, but it felt like a lifetime. I finally got tired of standing and sat on the floor, leaning my back against the wall. I placed my rifle beside me and took off my helmet, cupping my head in my hand. _How could she do this? After all we've been through. She said she loved me for fucks' sake! What a way to treat your lover, lock him in a metal container until he starves to death. "I'm doing this for us" my ass. Why did she even do it? She's been in service for three years, not long enough to be rampant._

My thoughts were interrupted by a peculiar hissing sound coming from the opposite side of the room. I scrambled to my feet and picked up my rifle, shouldering it and flipping off the safety. I aimed my rifle slightly downward so I could properly see what was going on in front of me. The black glass drew into the corners of the wall, exposing the other side of the room. I couldn't believe what I saw through the gunsight as I adjusted my aim.

It was Jennifer. She looked normal, except for the fact that she was...human. Tangible. Real. She was dressed in the same skin-tight suit she had worn ever since she had been to the Cartographer. She was tantalizing and horrifying at the same time. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Part of me wanted to reach out and touch her, but I couldn't get her betrayal out of my head.

"Jake, it's me," she beckoned softly as she took a careful stride towards me. My index finger moved from the trigger guard and wrapped itself around the trigger.

"Don't you take another step towards me," I said sternly. Her expression seemed pained, but she walked on. Her movements were slow and calculated, no doubt wanting to avoid looking like a threat. She reached the rifle's muzzle and placed her hand on the top.

"Jake, please. Put down the gun." Her voice was barely above a whisper now. I could feel a tiny bit of pressure on the barrel. I locked eyes with her. Her gaze almost seemed to plead with me, and I could see tears welling up in her eyes. I didn't want to hurt her like this, and I knew she meant me no harm. I let out a shaky sigh and eased the my grip on the rifle. She was irresistible. She pushed the muzzle towards the ground and I let it go completely, the rifle falling on the ground in a loud clatter. She quickly leaped forward and hugged me, placing one hand in my hair and placed the other around my neck. Her chin barely managed to rest on my shoulders as she stood on her toes as I leaned into her embrace and wrapped my arms around her back.

"Oh Jake. I'm so sorry I had to do that to you. But..."

"You did it for us."

She sighed. "I'm glad you understand. There's so much I need to explain to you. And there's so much I want to do."

I gently backed out of her embrace. I place my hand to her cheek and stroked my thumb over it. She took her hand and wrapped it around mine. Her skin was unbelievably soft.

"I know Jenn. But not here. Not now. We've been gone so long..."

She squeezed my hand and nodded. I laughed softly.

"I can't wait to see the look on Barnes' face when he sees you."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she said with a mischievous smile and a sniff. I reached down and put on my helmet.

"You ready?" I asked.

"Let's go."

We left the Instrument and made our way through the airlock. To my surprise, my two companions who had entered the building with me had stayed, propping themselves up between each side of the corridor.

"I thought I told you to go if I didn't come back in twenty mikes" I said, walking over to Barnes.

"Yeah, well, fuck that. I sure as shit wasn't leaving you behind."

As Jenn came into view beside me, Barnes quickly stood up and took a step back, quite clearly shocked by what he saw.

"Hoooooly shit!" He ripped off his helmet and blinked in disbelief. "I don't fuckin' believe it. How? How the fuck is that possible?"

"I don't know myself. We'll have to ask later it seems", I said as I looked down to Jenn. She smiled and took my hand.

"Well, why didn't ya fuckin' tell us what was going on?" he asked.

"Well, uh..." I glanced back to Jenn. The smile on her face faded and I could see a hint of concern on her face. "We lost comms as we entered the Instrument." I heard her sigh in relief. Her secret was safe was me.

"Excuse me, if I might interject." said Kor. "But who is this woman? She didn't enter the building with us."

"That's his fuckin' AI" replied Barnes. "Or _was_. Sorry Jenn, uh no offense meant."

She laughed. "None taken. I thinks it's going to be an _interesting_ day for everyone."

Kor seemed at a loss for words. "That's his _ancilia_?"

"If you want to be technical, yes," I said.

"By the Prophets...amazing. I look forward to hearing how this happened."

We stood there for a few awkward seconds until Barnes spoke up.

"So, you two, uh, ready to head for the surface?"

"Seems like it." I motioned towards the elevator. "Ladies first."

"Oh, what a gentleman," said Jenn as she boarded the elevator. "I think you could learn a thing or two from him Barnes."

I saw his face go beet red as I hopped on the elevator. "She always like this in your head?" he whispered as I got on the elevator. I chuckled.

"Sometimes."

"Hey, I heard that. You two might be great soldiers, but you're awful whisperers."

"See Barnes, you're getting me into trouble already," I said with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"Can't seem to please anyone today," he muttered as he put on his helmet. We arrived at the top of the elevator.

The Marines had gotten a bit leisurely while waiting for us, but they didn't necessarily seem calm. Despite many of them reclining on their rucksacks, the mood was anxious and concerned.

"What now?" Barnes asked as we walked out of the doorway.

"I have a private call to make. After that, we're on our way to ONI. Jenn, follow me."

We walked off out of earshot of the rest of the group. I could hear a few Marines mutter in disbelief as we walked past them.

"So...who exactly are we calling?" Jenn asked as I found a suitable spot.

"Catherine Halsey. I think she'll be...interested in recent developments."

"Oh," was her reply. I could sense a bit of contempt in her voice.

"What?"

"Well, I know about her work on the SPARTAN program. What she did. What she did to _you_ I mean _._ It was criminal."

"Maybe. But, that sent me on a totally different direction in life. And look where I am now. I suppose I have her to thank for that, in a bit of a weird fucked up way."

"I guess you're right, I don't know. Just promise me you'll keep my interactions with her as short as possible, please Jake?"

I nodded. "Let's get this over with," I said. I took out a collapsible compad out from my hardcase. The handshake to Onyx took some time, but soon enough I was face to face with the Doctor.

"Jacob! It's so good to see you. How are you?" said Halsey. Her tone of voice was more relaxed than usual, but she seemed very tired. I could hear it in her voice, and the bags under her eyes had become more prevalent.

"Well, the last 24 hours has certainly been...something."

"Oh?"

"I've got an update on what they sent me looking for." Her eyes widened.

"Well, what is it?" she said with a surprising amount of energy.

"Do you remember my AI?"

"Yes, Jennifer was it's name, right?" She paused for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

"Jenn, come here," I beckoned to Jenn as she entered the camera's field of view. Halsey gasped.

"My God! How-How is that possible?"

"Well, it seems this Venerable Instrument is actually-" Jenn began, but as soon as she did the connection began to lose connection.

"Dr. Halsey! Catherine?! What the fuck?"

The triangular ONI emblem appeared on the screen. It appeared that the all-seeing eye was not purely symbolic.

"Aw, shiiit." I whispered as a familiar face appeared on the screen. "Serin. Do what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I apologize for interrupting whatever you and and Dr. Halsey were talking about. But, well, I have bad news. And new orders."

This was odd. It wasn't uncommon for us Spartans to receive orders from ONI, but not this far up, and not in this manner. Something didn't feel right.

"What's going on?"

"There's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to tell you the truth. Earth's been invaded. We're recalling all Spartans back to Earth, and we've dispatched a transport vessel to your position. It should get there in a few hours. From there, you'll be reassigned as we see fit."

I felt like someone had just punched me in the gut and the balls at the same time. I had known it was inevitable for some time now, but to know that it was actually happening was heart breaking. It was my home. _Humanity's_ home. This was the endgame.

"How bad is it?" I barely managed to say.

Serin sighed. "It's bad. We've been evacuated from Sydney. New Mombasa is gone. There's fighting all over the planet."

"Jesus Christ. How did they even find us?"

"We don't know. Maybe it someone brought some piece of Covenant tech with a tracker, or it was just luck; it doesn't matter. All that does is that they're here."

I nodded. "I just hope you sent a ship with enough space for me and my men. I've got a squad of twelve plus myself."

"We're sending a _Black Cat-_ class prowler. You'll have the space you need. Well Jake, I need to get going. I need to make a few more of these calls. Not many unfortunately. Goodbye." The connection abruptly ended. She was right about one thing though, there weren't many of us Spartans left. I stared at the ground. I still couldn't believe the Covenant had found Earth. The Cole Protocol had been successful for so long, but now just after the Fall of Reach, it seemed like the end of the war was in sight. And it didn't seem like humanity would be the victor.

Jenn placed her hand on my arm. "Oh Jake, I'm so sorry," was all she could manage to saw. She went to give me a hug but I stopped her before she could.

"Not now Jenn. I'm sorry, but I can't show any sign of weakness in front of the rest of them. I'm the only hope they have left."

She withdrew her hand and nodded with a deep exhale. "I understand. You're going to tell them, aren't you?"

"Of course. I don't know how I will, but I will. I guess I'll just tell it how it is." I drew my hands down my face. "All right, let's go."

"Marines! Attention! Semi-circle around me, double time!" I yelled as I marched over to them. The Marines jumped to their feet, and formed a neat half-crescent around me. "At ease." I ordered, and their posture loosened slightly. "I've just gotten new orders from ONI. There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to cut the bullshit and tell it how it is. Earth's been invaded, and the UNSC has seen fit to recall all major assets back to Earth. They've dispatched a prowler to pick us up, and upon arriving at Earth we will be given a new objective, whatever that may be. I'd imagine we'll be fighting in major population centers or strategic military locations. Regardless of where they put is, we're going to be seeing some nasty shit soon. I know many of you are from the colonies, but many are also from Earth. Myself included. Earth isn't just my home. It's _all_ of our homes; as a species. You Marines embody the spirit of your motto, _semper fidelis_. Always faithful to me, to the Corps, to Earth. I could not have asked for a better group of troops to defend our home with. Semper fi, Marines. Fall out."

Each Marine took a step back, then continued upon their business. Some were silent, others talked, each trying to reconcile the news in their own way. I wondered how much worse the mood would be if they knew how I felt. I couldn't help but avoid my usual _esprit de corps_ in my speech. I just wasn't able to bring myself to include it. I didn't think the nature of my revelation called for it either.

I walked up to Kor, interested to hear his thoughts on the matter.

"So, Kor. What do you think?"

"About the invasion?"

"Yeah."

"I think that this will be the last action of the war. There may be some insurgent fighting among the remaining colonies, but without the UNSC and it's fleet, it will only be a matter of time before they too fall. The only chance humanity might have would be if my other brothers have taken up arms against those treacherous prophets. Maybe then, and only then, may you all have a chance."

"So what will _you_ do?"

"Fight with you of course. I will kill those traitors until my dying breath. On the blood of my fathers. On the blood of my sons, I swear this to you."

I placed my hand on his shoulder, even if I did have to reach up rather far. "I'm glad to have you with us, Kor."

We moved into the forest in order to be better concealed by any potential Covenant air assets. We took turns on guard duty: one person to watch the forest, and one more to scan the sky for the sloop headed our way. I had just gotten off watch and handed Pulowski the binoculars when I noticed Jenn leaning against a tree, looking quite bored. I took off my helmet and walked over, taking a seat next to her.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said with a sigh. "I'm just bored, that's all. Nobody'll talk to me."

"They're just reacting to the news. Plus I think that they're getting used to having you around. They'll change, just give it time."

"I hope so" she said as she put her head on my shoulder. She looked up at me and gave me a warm smile. "Y'know, I never told you this, but I really like the sound of your voice. Do you-do you think you could read a story to me?" I paused for a moment, then planted a kiss on her forehead. She was so sweet. I was more than happy to anyways, figuring it would take my mind off of Earth.

"Of course, I just hope you don't mind my choice of reading material."

"Well what did you have in mind?" she asked as I pulled the compad out of my hardcase. She knew I had a few books on it for the downtime in between missions.

"Moby Dick. I've been meaning to start it for some time now, but just never got around to it." The transparent glass of the pad turned white, and the black words of the novel emerged on the screen. "Call me Ishmael," I began. "Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore..." The hours seemed to meld into one another, only the darkening sky indicating the passage of time. The stars had become fully visible when Nakamura called me over, saying that he had sighted something in the sky. Passing the binoculars to me, I saw a thin, black hull with two long, forward swept wings moving towards the field in front of us.

"Our ride's here Marines. Form up on me, we're leaving." I stated. While small for a Shaw-Fujikawa equipped vessel, the Prowler still took up a nice chunk of the field, totaling just over 50 meters long. Despite their relatively small size, the sloops were extremely fast, among the fastest ships in the entire UNSC fleet, and while they lacked armament, they were almost totally invisible on radar and IR imaging. Painted black, they blended well to the ambient color of space. I let the Marines get on first and pick their rooms, as the bunks normally meant for 38 Spartans could more than accommodate the twelve others who would soon board. As the rest of the Marines boarded, I pulled aside the ONI officer who helped them climb aboard. He wore the standard gray ONI fatigues without nametape as usual of the organization, although his had a significant amount of grime and grease on it, most likely from onboard maintenance. Much to my surprise, he hadn't said anything about Kor's presence, although he looked quite shocked when he laid eyes on him.

"Is there anything I can help you with sir?" he asked as I approached.

"Yes, actually. What do you plan to do with the gaping hole we've left in the side of that cliff? I mean, not to be rude, but I hope you weren't planning on leaving it that way for the Covenant to stumble upon."

"We've got a holographic projector that we'll place next to it. It should give the allusion that it hasn't been tampered with. Anything else Petty Officer?"

"Yes, one more thing. How long will the trip to Earth take us?"

"About 4-5 days, depending on slipspace conditions."

"Alright, that'll be all. Let's get underway."

"Yes sir. Welcome aboard the UNSC _Catalina_." We climbed aboard and soon enough, we were on our way.


	15. Chapter 14

The Marines had each found their rooms. There were more than enough for each of us, so everyone took their own private quarters. I was just about to enter my own quarters when Jenn passed by me, seemingly intent on taking the room next to me.

"Just where do you think you're going?" I inquired.

She looked over her shoulder, then turned to face me, leaning her head against the wall. "I thought you would enjoy the privacy. You always told me you valued it greatly on the _Vienna_."

"Well, that was before I had you. Come on, let's have some fun." I said with a wink and a smile.

"If you insist," she added with a mischievous grin. As soon as the door closed, she wrapped her arms around me. "So where do we go from here?"

"Oh, I had something special in mind," I said. We stared at each other for a few moments, but we soon brought our lips together in a joyous embrace. She whimpered in satisfaction as I kissed her, slowly but passionately. It may have been only a few minutes, but it felt like hours. I didn't care, I was so engrossed in her that every second felt like pure bliss. I could feel the gel-layer shift in my loins. Maybe she could tell, as she slipped away from my arms, placing a finger on my lips.

"This is amazing, but I think it would be even better if I got you out of that bulky armor. Don't you think?"

I laughed. "Shit. I was so wrapped up in you I almost forgot about it. Give me five minutes and your soldier will return to your waiting arms." I was about to head out the door when I turned to face her. "Hope I'm doing alright."

"Oh, you're perfect, Jake. Don't worry about it."

"And to think I'm probably a shitty kisser right now. I bet I'll get a hell of a lot better."

Now it was her turn to laugh. "What, and you think _I'm_ any better? I've been human for less than 24 hours. I just hope I can keep up."

"I sure hope so. Us Spartans can be quite fast."

"Well, there's one area I can think of where speed might not be the best option. Now off with you, you just standing there is driving my mind wild."

"Yes _ma'am"_ , I said as I sprinted out the door towards the armory. Thankfully, noone was there when I arrived, and I gave the voice activation to begin the disassembly of my armor. It was a state-of-the-art model that was fully automated. It also did a better job than the technicians did, and I was out of my armor in the five minutes I had promised. I opened the door to see Jenn sitting on the bunk bed. Meant for Spartans, it would be the perfect size for me. However, it seemed comically large compared to a normal person.

"I counted five minutes, five seconds" she said jokingly as I sat down besides her.

"I counted four fifty five."

"Oh, what the hell. It doesn't matter. Now you're here and that's all I care about." She got up and sat on my lap, facing me. She had some hair in over her eyes, which I brushed away gently. She smiled softly and leaned in for another round of kissing which I gladly accepted. Her lips were so soft and supple, they felt almost like silk. After a while my hands slid around her neck when I felt something odd: a small metallic slip at the base of her skull.

"What's that?" I asked in between kisses.

"My...AI...core."

I pulled away just a few inches.

"Your AI chip?"

She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yes. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just kind of surprised. Is it...integrated with your brain?"

"Yes, but not directly. Hypothetically, I could still function as your AI."

"And what would happen with your body?"

"Oh, nothing I suppose. My guess is that my memories would just integrate from being an AI and human."

"Huh. You know, you never explained to me what exactly happened in there."

"Well, I knew what it was as soon as you plugged me into it. Basically, what this 'Venerable Instrument' is an advanced medical...creation device. Similar to flash-cloning but much more advanced. I was able to create a hypothetical DNA strand that would match my characteristics. I just plugged it in from there. I believe the Covenant's interest in the device is that they think they can use it to make themselves Reclaimers; essentially the descendants of the Forerunners. It seems a lot of Forerunner tech requires the use of a Reclaimer or a Forerunner to function, which is vital to their Great Journey."

"So we're Reclaimers? Humanity I mean."

"I guess so." she laughed. "They've never found the missing link you know."

"I see."

"There's, uh, something else Jake."

"What is that?"

"I'm not _technically_ human. I had to make some alterations to my genetic structure in order to, well, work. For example, I had carbide ossification on my bones, and my brain is a bit different than a human's to work both with and without my core."

"Wait, did you say something about carbide ossification? Like what I have?"

She started blushing and looked down. "Well, yes, but it doesn't matter."

I elevated her head to meet my gaze with my two fingers. "Jeeeenn."

"Oh alright. I got the ossification so, well...basically so you don't kill me when we're having sex."

"Oh," I said with a raised eyebrow. "And when do you think that'll be?"

"Not anytime soon, hate to tell you. I'm not that easy."

"I can be pretty irresistible."

"And I think you underestimate my willpower."

I leaned in for another kiss. She met it, but pushed me away when I tried to take off her bodysuit.

"Ugh, _stop_ Jake. I do want to have sex with you _eventually_ , but not right now. I want to take it just a little bit slower than getting fucked within my first day of being alive. Besides, believe it or not, but I actually am getting used to this body. I'd prefer to keep it light for now."

"It's just the way you look in that bodysuit drives me wild, I'm sorry. God, you're so hot. I don't think you even know."

"Well, you're no better in yours displaying your fucking _perfect_ physique, I'll have you know. She gave a light chuckle. "Do _you_ even know how many women would look you up and down whenever you went on the bridge?"

I paused for a moment. I was usually so wrapped up in my orders I never really payed attention to my surroundings on the con.

"Honestly, no. I just hope you never got jealous," I said with a shit-eating grin.

"Oh, you have no idea. Especially before I really knew you. But, once I did, I could tell you had a thing for me pretty early on."

"Well, I guess the same was true on my end. Funny how I said we were similar in our quest for love. Now look where we are."

She gave me a warm smile. "And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

"I know hun." I smiled, but her last sentence got me thinking about our destination. My smile quickly faded to a frown.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"You just got me thinking about Earth, that's all."

"I'm sorry Jake. I didn't mean to."

"It's alright Jenn. It isn't a big deal."

"Well, it is a big deal to me. You can tell me what's on your mind."

I sighed. "Well, to be perfectly honest with you, I think this is it. The end. If they conquered Reach, they'll conquer Earth. Sure, we'll probably hold out for a few more years in the colonies. Decades even. But after that? Game over."

"Well, I don't. If every Spartan is as good as you, I think we might be able to turn the tide. And who knows, maybe the Shanghelli will fight with us if it's a war of extermination for them too. Didn't really seem like they were part of the Covenant anymore."

"I hope you're right, Jenn. I hope you're right."

She stroked my cheek. "Whatever happens, we'll be in it together. And that brings me some solace. Just keep your mind on us, together. Ok?" She let out a loud and extended yawn. "Wow, I just realized how tired I am. My God, it's almost one in the morning. Well, I think I'm going to go to sleep now. You're welcome to join me if you'd like," she said as she laid down. I got up and turned off the lights, not bothering to get a pair of civilian clothes. I was exhausted, and besides, the bodysuit was just about the most comfortable thing in the world. I laid down beside her, facing her as I pulled the blanket over us.

"I love you Jake."

"I love you too Jenn. Goodnight." I whispered and planted a kiss on her forehead. She grabbed my hand and curled into my body, placing my arm around her stomach. She sighed in weary satisfaction, and fell asleep. I wasn't far behind her.

. . .

I got up earlier than she had. I only slept for eight hours, which was quite a while by Spartan standards. I was especially careful not to wake her, and I slipped out of the room with almost total silence. I went to storage and picked out a pair of BDUs and boots in my size, and picked out some PT sweats for Jenn to wear. I changed and dropped off her clothes at the room, then made my way to the mess. Much to my surprise, I found Barnes sitting at one of the tables, coffee in hand. I grabbed a hot chocolate and sat across from him.

"Mornin'," he said.

"Morning. Didn't feel like sleeping in?"

"Nah, I couldn't sleep, not with the news. You?"

"Surprisingly, I was able to. I kind of feel bad for it, but I did."

He nodded. "I see. Well, I'd prefer not to talk about it."

"I understand." We stood there silent for a minute, neither knowing what to say. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"You roomed with Jennifer last night, didn't you?"

"Yeah. So what?"

"Well, how was it?"

"Ah. It was, well, amazing. It was everything I imagined it being, and more."

"Yeah? And, uh, how was her body?"

"Jesus Barnes. Way to be subtle. Sorry to disappoint you, but I didn't fuck her."

"No?"

"Oh believe me I tried, but she wasn't having it. She didn't want to fuck right away, which I respect now that I've thought about it. And she's getting used to her new body." I paused for a moment. "Is it is as good as it's supposed to be?"

"Eh, it depends. If it's just some random screw, it's nice in the moment but nothing more. But someone you love? Now that's something incredible."

"How so?"

"You just have this kind of amazing physical connection that you don't have before. Like, being able to trust your body to someone. It's hard to explain."

"I never asked you this, but do you have someone now?"

He sighed. "No, not with being deployed constantly. It just doesn't work out, especially with being in cryo while your partner ages. Of course, I've had one-night stands, but not anything more than that. I am a little envious of you though, I would like someone to come home to, to rely on, y'know?"

"Yeah, I understand. I felt that way for a very, very long time."

"Jake, do you remember what I said to you on the Falcon?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"Now that she's here. Human, you know. You have to be careful; don't get too attached."

"How can I not Barnes? She's the girl of my dreams. And she can still function as my AI, so the status quo remains the same. The only way she dies, is if I do."

He didn't say anything for a while, just stared down into his coffee. The silence made me uncomfortable, and I went to go get some breakfast. I got my standard of bacon, eggs, and pancakes, and began to eat when his next few words stopped me in the act.

"Do you actually think you'll survive?" he said. I looked up from and stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, judging on whether or not to tell him the truth. I decided that as my friend and as an ODST, he could handle it.

"No. No, I don't think I'll survive. Honestly, I don't think anyone will survive. Not you, not me, not her, none of the Marines. No-one. It's over man. These next few days might be all I have left in life, because it's the last bit of normalcy and peace I'll probably ever know. But know this Barnes. I don't plan on giving up. The only time I'll stop fighting is when the Covvies surrender or they pry my rifle from my cold dead hands. That I can promise you." I let out a deep breath. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going to spend some time with Jenn, what little I have. Goodbye Barnes." I got up and left the man to his coffee. He didn't say anything after that, just stared into his cup, lost in his thoughts and memories of days past.


	16. Chapter 15

Jenn was still asleep as I entered our room. I sighed and wrung my hands over my face. I had tried to keep these negative thoughts out of my mind in order to savor what would likely be my last few days of peace. I wanted to spend these next four or so days happy with Jenn and my friends, not miserable over a fact that was currently out of my control. I sat down next to Jenn and gently traced my fingers through her hair.

I thought of all the things that could be. I thought back to the small farm in Pennsylvania where I grew up, and I imagined her and I living there, peaceful and content with just each other and without a worry in a world. The sounds of children would fill the house during the day, and only the sounds of a world without war would be heard during the night. I knew none of these things were meant for me. I viewed myself as a human being, as something besides just a Spartan. But I knew that I had been trained, no, bred to kill. First our fellow human beings, and now the Covenant. I wondered if I would ever be able to move on from the killing and bloodshed and be able to adjust to the life of a civilian, assuming a miracle happened and we won the war. Throughout the years, the one thing I could count on being the same was the fighting. People came and went, either dying or being re-assigned. But the war never changed.

My eyes were starting to tear up when I heard Jenn wake up. She delicately opened her eyes, which seemed to glow when she saw me at the foot of the bed. She smiled softly.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" she said quietly.

I couldn't help but return the smile. She really was amazing.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. How was your first night of sleep?"

"Strange. I had a dream. Or, well, I think I did."

"What was it about?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "I-I don't really remember. I just know you were in it."

"I guess it was a good dream then."

"I guess so," she replied as wrapped around me from behind, placing her chin on my shoulder. "Come stay with me Jake. I missed you."

We snuggled for a bit, not saying a word. Each other's company was enough. Even if I could die a virgin, I would still be content with moments like these. Sure, 41 years of no action had left me sexually frustrated, but I was happy with what I had. I didn't think there were any among my brothers or sisters that had any like it.

"Jake?"

"Hmm?"

She turned to look me in the eye. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

"What was Spartan training like?"

"I'm surprised you'd ask a thing like that. I guess I just assumed that, as an AI for a UNSC capital ship, you'd know everything."

"Well, I know all of the cold hard facts. But I want to hear it from you; your experiences I guess. I know what Halsey did to you; what you had to go through." She looked away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked now that I think about it."

I lifted her head with my finger. "Hey, it's fine," I said as I stared into her deep blue eyes. Her eyes were one of the most striking features of hers. I'd never seen anything like them, they were so deep and defined they were almost artificial, yet they still seemed natural at the same time.

"Well, you're right. The training was tough, and the augmentations were probably the most painful thing I've ever experienced in my life. But it wasn't all bad. I got to experience a camraderie on a level I've never felt before or since. No, I don't think it was camraderie. What the Spartans have is more like...family."

"I bet you had lots of friends in the program."

"Not as many as you might think. Everyone was pretty reserved. Most people after the...brainwashing, didn't really have much personality, or remembered their lives before the program for that matter. The only group of people that really stayed the same was Gray Team."

She nodded her head. "I've heard of them. How come you weren't assigned to them instead of Gold Team?"

"I kept my head down, and only _acted_ like I had been successfully conditioned. Before I was conscripted, the people who owned the farm next to ours were from somewhere in Asia. I remember the son telling me a saying from their home country: 'The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.' I figured that the least-conforming people in the program would be the most expendable."

"I guess you were right. Gray Team's been MIA since last year."

"Maybe, but that's the also just the nature of their missions. Still, I'd rather be fighting the brunt of the Covenant up close with support, than behind enemy lines for years on end."

She smiled. "And besides, you wouldn't have met me."

"Very true," I agreed as I kissed her cheek. She leaned in to kiss my lips, but a very loud sound eminated from her stomach.

She laughed. "Oh my. I didn't even realized how hungry I was. You distracted me. Did you eat already?"

"Yeah, but I won't mind going with you. The rest of the guys are probably up by now anyways."

She got up while I stayed in bed, enjoying the feeling of lying down, and the view in front of me as Jenn changed into her sweats.

"Just for the record, your ass looks great in those pants, even if they are a bit baggy."

She blushed and giggled. "I didn't think you'd be looking. How naive of me."

"Hey, ya can't blame a guy when a girl looks like you do."

"Do you really think I'm pretty?" she asked as she pulled the top over her head? "Seriously, I mean."

"Are you kidding me? You're the most attractive women I've ever seen in my fuckin' entire life. Just look at how the guys'll gaze at you at breakfast." I said as she combed her hair. "They'll look away because of me, but not after taking a good hard look at you. Trust me on that, it's how we work."

"I guess all men really are the same," she said playfully.

"Eh, deep down we all have dirty thoughts. I guess what makes us different is how much we let seep into how we act."

"And what happens if somene stares too long?" she said as she turned around with a raised eye.

"Well I guess I'll just have to fight 'em. Or you could slap 'em. Your choice." I said with a wink.

She placed the brush down. "I guess it's a deal then. Come on you beautiful hunk of a man. Let's go."

Sure enough, as soon as we entered the mess, what had been a loud conversation between three Marines quickly become a series of hushed whispers. I gave Jenn an "I told you so" look. She responded with a shrug, and made her way towards the food dispensers. I stood there, not knowing if she would know how to use them herself or if she needed assistance. But after a few seconds of standing around with her hand on her hips, she beckoned me over.

"So Jake. Um...what do you recommend?"

"Well, I always get bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Sometimes I mix it up with some doughnuts or waffles every once in a while. Granted your caloric intake probably isn't as much as mine, but...well, splurging on _one_ meal won't hurt."

She smiled. "Thanks." She took a look over her shoulder and tapped my arm for me to lean in.

"They still haven't stopped, have they?"

"No, but don't mind them. They're not saying anything bad."

"Oh? And you can hear what they're saying?"

A shit eating grin appeared on my face. "Every word," I replied. "I'm a Spartan after all. Come on, let's sit down. You should formally introduce yourself though. It would make it less weird."

She nodded. "Right, right. Let's go."

I noticed Pulowski and sat next to across from him, and Jenn sat next to me. We were accompanied by one of Barne's squadmates, Bryant, and Nakamura the MG gunner. There was an awkward silence for quite a few moments before I decided to break it.

"Morning everyone."

"Morning," came the mumbled response from the Marines.

"...Hey, I'm Jenn. It's nice to meet you all." She leaned in to shake everyone's hand but was suddenly interrupted.

"Hey, your voice sounds familiar. Have we met somewhere before?" said Nakamura.

Pulowski looked at him in disbelief. "Are you fucking kidding me? How much of a meathead are you man? Goddamn bro." Nakamura gave him a confused look.

"What?! She just seemed familiar, that's all. Chill."

"That's our AI from the _Vienna_ man. Remember?"

Nakamura placed his hand over his mouth. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry ma'am. I hope I didn't embar-"

"It's fine," replied Jenn. I had barely managed to stifle my laughter for the conversation.

"So, uh...how did you, you know..."

"Become human?"

"Yeah...well, I guess."

"Well, it wasn't too complicated. The machine we discovered is an advanced medical facility capable of things beyond modern science. I programmed it to build a body that would match my avatar. And here I am."

"I see," he replied as he nodded his head. I wasn't sure if he understood what she said. I wondered if _I_ even fully understood what the Intstrument was capable of.

The Marines continued to shoot the shit as Jenn began cutting her pancake. After a copious helping of syrup, she took her first bite of food, ever. Her eyes widened with excitement.

"Oh my god Jake. This is...Hm...I don't have a word to describe this feeling."

"Delicious?"

"Oooh, yeah!"

"If you think this is good, just wait till you try real food."

"This isn't real food?"

"Well, it is. But...not really. It isn't cooked I mean. Not fresh."

"I see. I guess I'll have to learn how to cook for myself then. Oh, well, and you too if you'd like. It's just there's about a thousand recipes I'd like to try."

"Hey, do whatever you'd like to do, once this is all over. The world is your oyster, so to speak."

"Thanks, Jake. I love you."

"I know you do." I leaned over and kissed her on her forehead. The Marines stared for a few seconds, then shifted the conversation towards something that both Jenn and I could talk about too. I didn't care if anyone saw what we had as weird. I was just glad to have her, and that's all that mattered to me.


	17. Chapter 16

The next four days passed by very much like the first. I spent most of my time in my room with Jenn, doing menial things but simply enjoying each other's presence. It was peaceful, but the anxiety of the coming battle was always there. I could tell the Marines felt it too. Most stayed in their dorms, each reflecting on the news in their own way. They generally only came out to socialize at the small fitness room on board or at the mess.

The wild card was Kor. I hadn't seen him at all in the past few days, and decided after breakfast that it would be appropriate to pay him a courtesy call. I looked up his dorm in the ship's data files, and made my way over. I decided that the polite thing to do would be to knock.

"The door is open."

I entered to find the eight foot tall alien getting up from bed, most likely having been relaxing. He had some balls for leaving the door open when half the ship probably wanted to kill him, but I imagined it would be dishonorable to lock the doors. Or something like that.

"What is it you came to discuss?"

"Just wanted to how you're holding up."

He gave me a confused look. "But I'm not holding up anything right now."

"Oh, it's a human saying. Like how you're doing."

"Ah, I see. The food here is not to the Sangheili palate, but it is nutritionally sufficient. As for how the rest of your people see me, I can sense some tension. But nothing has happened. I am quite bored however. It has just given me time to think about the betrayal over and over, and it fills me for rage. I yearn for battle."

As if on cue, the familiar call tone of the Navy messaging system. "All hands, all hands. Report to the briefing room immediately. All hands, all hands. Report to the briefing room immediately."

I sighed. "Looks like you got your wish. We're probably exiting out of slipspace soon. Come on."

The briefing room was relatively small, but was ample enough for us, and being made for SPARTANs, didn't require Kor to hunch over as many human vessels would have. The captain of the vessel was waiting for us to file in. When I asked him who was giving our new orders, he simply stated they were from the top. The rest of the Marines filed in casually, excitedly talking amongst each other with the usual pre-mission jitters. They knew combat was going to be close at hand.

"Is this everyone?" asked the Captain.

"Yep. Let's get this show on the road."

The display flashed on to reveal an aging man dressed in the white dress uniform of the UNSC. The pins on his collar gave the rank of Fleet Admiral. The nametape simly read "Hood."

"Sir!" I said, snapping to a salute. The Marines looked up and did the same. The response was so fast it sounded almost painful for them.

"At ease, Spartan; Marines. I have new orders for you."

"What did you have in mind, sir?" I responded.

"In about an hour, give or take, you'll be exiting out of slipspace and arriving at Earth. The situation there has changed drastically since you last received news. The Prophet of Regret's fleet has left Earth, going where; we don't currently know. The Covenant have spread across the planet. We suspect that they're looking for Forerunner artifacts, and we've noticed a particularly heavy concentration of them around Paris. What's more, an important Covenant Minister has accompained them, and is apparently leading from the ground himself. Your orders are to find out whatever the Covenant is looking for, destroy it if it's a threat, and kill this Minister of Relic Safety at all costs." He paused and took a long, hard look at Kor. "We've also intercepted reports of the Elites and the Brutes fighting amongst each other...I see you've made an interesting friend here, Jacob. Hopefully he can be of use to us to rally more Elites to our side. I'm placing you in command of this operation, and you carry my full authority on any other units your run across. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir. We won't let you down."

"And Sierra?"

"Yes sir?"

"Get your troops ready for a hard drop. You'll link up with the frigate _Agincourt_ soon enough. Any other questions?"

"If I might, sir, I have only one. What will happen to my, uh..." _Was it right to call her my girlfriend_? I wondered

"Not to worry son. I was told about her by a special...someone. She'll stay with us at command in Africa, where it's safe. She'll function as your handler for this op. That all?"

"Yes sir."

"Good luck, and godspeed. Hood out."

The Marines whispered among each other, surprised that the orders came from that high up.

"Well what are you waiting for, gentlemen? Get your shit together! Meet me by the airlock in 45 mikes, locked cocked and ready to go!"

Barnes ran up to me on the way to the armory.

"Hey slick, got a question for you. You ever think these Marines have used a drop pod before?"

"I doubt it, should make for an interesting show though. I just about shat myself the first time I used one."

He laughed. "Me too, man. Well, see you at the lock. If there's one thing I can tell, it's that we'll get this shit done right or die trying."

"Damn straight brother. Oorah."

Twenty minutes later and I had my armor on, my kit sorted out, and my rifle and pistol together. I paid a visit to my room, knowing that the impending conversation was going to be tough.

I opened the door and was greeted by Jenn sitting anxiously at the foot of our bed.

"Jake? What's going-" She paused, seeing me in my gear.

"We're being deployed." Jenn let out a shaky sigh.

"I see." She reached at the base of her skull and pulled what had been the AI chip. "Well, I think you'll be needing this then."

"Will you be able to function without it?" I asked.

"Yeah, no problem. The distance is also short enough so any information I take in on the chip will be relayed to the receptor connected to my brain." She placed her hand into mine, and folded it with the chip in it, while placing her other hand on my cheek. She edged just a bit closer.

"Jake, promise me you'll be careful. I want to see you when this is all over. Please just promise me this." She was beginning to lose her composure.

I pressed my hand against hers. "I promise I'll come back to you Jenn. Don't worry. I'll be fine as long as you're with me. It'll be just like old times." I placed two fingers to my mouth, kissed them, and made a short swipe along her lips.

"What was that?" she asked.

"A symbol we Spartans have. We use it in place of a smile. Nobody outside of the program knows what it is except for Halsey and Mendez. And now you."

She retraced the movement with her own hands and smiled.

"Jenn, I'm sorry but I have to go now. Just, before I go, I need you to understand how much I love you. I-"

"Don't. I already know, because it's how much I love you."

I nodded. "See you soon, love." I turned and slowly made my way towards the door. I turned around to get one last look of her. She nodded with tears down her cheeks, and I made my way out of the room. I put the chip inside the helmet's port, but didn't bother putting it on yet. I had my heart broken and I felt like I needed some time alone. While she was still with me, I was scared that I would never meet her in person again. And that thought was almost as bad as if I were to lose her altogether. There was just something about being with her, the "real" her, that was incredible beyond words. I was so smitten it felt like it almost hurt. And it was the greatest and yet most horrible feeling in the world.

. . .

Half an hour later and I was overlooking the view of the planet from my drop pod. My rifle was locked into the spacer next to me, with my pistol at my hip. I would be ready to immediately enter the fight if it called for it, which it likely would considering the dire situation below.

Earth. It had been so long since I'd been there. A part of me was happy to be home, but I wished it was under better circumstances. I wondered if my home still even existed, or even if my mother was still alive. 41 years was a long time. So much had probably changed. Would she even recognize me? _Probably not_. I sighed and put my helmet. At least there was still someone I could depend on.

"Hey."

"Hey," responded Jenn. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Still, even with the all of the anxiety of what's to come I can't shake this weird feeling I have. It's just weird to be home I guess, after all this time. I wonder if it's still the way it was when I left."

"I think I know you feel. The closest thing I had to a home was the _Vienna_ , and now that's all gone," she said sadly.

"Jenn, when this is all over, we'll get a place of our own. I'll leave the service, and we can finally live in peace. How does that sound?"

"That would mean the world to me, Jake. I think an agri-world would be nice. All that beautiful scenary and none of the crowding."

"I couldn't agree with you more."

The green light at the top of the pod blared in my face. We were about to drop, and I switched my comm channel to the squads.

"Alright, everyone. This is where the show starts. See you all topside."

With a loud thud, the pod was away. I took what I would assume would be my last look at space for a while as I stormed through the atmosphere. The drop pod shook from the wind resistance, and I wondered how my non-ODST comrades were holding up. To someone inexperienced with drops, it would seem quite terrifying.

The black of space soon blended into the deep blue of the stratosphere, quickly turning into the light blue of the troposphere.

Suddenly, black puffs of smoke filled the display on my helmet. Flak. I soon also began to see blue streaks of plasma fire. This was going to be a hot landing.

"Shiiiiit!" I heard one of the Marines scream. We would be on the city in moments.

A large cloud of flak exploded in front of me. Instantly, the warning of the alarm sounded to signify I was going off course as my pod spun rapidly. As soon as it happened, I felt the pod stop with a thud. I had landed.

"Fuck, door's malfunctioned." I said as the smoke from my landing cleared. I had lodged in the parking garage on top of some poor bastard's car, or what remained of it. And to my pleasant surprised, I was greeted by the snarl of a rather large Brute and two Jackals. I took my pistol off safe and chambered a round.

I flipped the Brute a single-fingered salute as I pressed the explosive release bolts. The door blasted off, crushing the Brute beneath a wall. I snapped to the first Jackal with my pistol, putting two rounds into his chest and another into his head for good measure. The last Jackal had fled when the Brute died, however I scoped in with my HUD and fired a round into the base of his skull, almost tearing his head off his neck. I stepped out of my pod, yanked my rifle out of it's slot, and holstered my pistol. Racking the bolt and taking it off safe, I quickly scanned the room for any more hostiles. Seeing none, I ran towards the exit in order to link up with my squad. It was time to get to work.


	18. Chapter 17

As I left the garage, I got a better view of the city than I had in the chaos of the drop. Paris had changed little since the early 20th century, from what I had been able to gather from the documentaries I had seen on the world wars. Once again, it seemed, the City of Life was being threatened by a force of darkness.

"Jenn! Give me a waypoint to the nearest pod and put the rest on my map! Pronto!"

"Got it! First one is only 200 meters out. Take a left and it'll be straight ahead!"

The blue inverted square that appeared on my HUD marked the pod as being Barnes. It looked like he was in the middle of the street, totally exposed. I didn't have much time. Spartans are damn fast, but it would seem like an eternity to someone trapped inside a pod with a bunch of xenos trying to kill you on the other side. But soon enough, I was at the crash site.

Barnes had dropped in the middle of a long stairway in what had been a row of quaint white houses, now charred black by the drop's explosion. I activated my cloaking device and went prone on the white fencing overlooking the pod, sliding my barrel through one of the slits.

A Brute Chieftain covered in gold armor was motioning for a squad of grunts to come over towards the pod, probably to have them do the dirty work of prying it open. He looked different than Brutes I had seen before. His armor was different and seemed to cover more of his body. _Maybe the Brutes got an upgrade when they betrayed the Elites?_ It made no difference to me. My 7.62mm HVAP round would kill him in one shot if I aimed at the eye. I squeezed the trigger, and instinctively switched to the skull of a grunt with a Needler knowing that the Brute would go down.

Except he didn't. He growled only in agitation as a shifting blue force-field appeared around him. My position now compromised to the only effective combatant, I got up and moved forward as he fired in the direction of my muzzle blast. _Shit!_ I thought. _Since fucking when do Brutes have shielding?_

I charged at him, wanting to take the pressure off Barnes and forcing him to focus on me. Running down the steps, I emptied the rest of my mag center mass, just barely bringing his shields down. Enraged and out of ammunition as well, he charged me, swinging blindly with the blades of his Spiker. He missed, and I slid underneath him drawing my knife in one fluid motion. In an instant, I jumped up on his back, stabbing my knife in spine. He let out a quiet gasp before falling to the ground, paralyzed. I drew my pistol, and popped the now fleeing grunts in quick secession. Looking back down to the Brute, I decided to end his life quickly. I retrieved my knife, raised my foot and stomped down on his head. The force of the armor and my strength popped his head like a ripe tomato, spraying the reddish- blue Jiralhanae blood all over my armor. The immediate area secured, I went over to Barnes's pod.

"Hey Barnes! Area's secure. Pop the locks."

"Alright, stay back. Let's pop this bitch open," He said, motioning for me to clear the area.

The explosive bolts on the pod shot the door open, sending it flying until it collided with the remains of a classical marble fountain. Barnes climbed out of his pod, chambered a round in his pistol, and loaded his sniper rifle. I did the same and topped off my weapons.

"Thanks for assist back there. Again."

"No problem, man. You ready?"

He nodded.

"Alright, Jenn, can you give us a waypoint to the next pod?"

"Affirmative. Looks like the rest managed to drop in one place. Near L'Arc de Triomphe. We're only two kilometers from it now. Marking them on your HUD."

"Streets are clogged with deserted cars. Looks like we're going to have to hoof it. Also, send the co-ordinates of the drop to Barnes, as well as any tactical information moving forward."

"You got it hun," she said, prompting a small chuckle from Barnes as we ran towards the rest of the Marines. We normally wouldn't have rushed into a situation like this, but the lack of time demanded it.

"Must be nice having an AI," he remarked.

"Yeah, almost like having your girlfriend as a handler or something."

"No, really. Would have taken 5 minutes to plot out the location at least, and that would have been assuming you have a TACPAD or something. We'll be there in the time that it would have taken to figure out where they are I mean."

"I guess it's not quite like anything in the world, really. Being paired with an AI, I mean. It's certainly different than working with a handler or even an AI without the tether."

"Yeah, I bet. By the way, don't you think it was weird that Brute had shielding? Never seen that before."

"Me neither," I replied. "We'll investigate it later when we have the time."

"10-4 chief."

Moving down Avenue Foch, we heard the gunfire that had previously blended into the background become louder and louder. As we reached the end of the street, we saw the remnants of a Covenant platoon being whittled down in quick succession by my Marines, who had rallied around the Arc. Strangely, the handful of remaining brutes seemed to lack the armor that the Chieftain before had.

"Barnes, let's set up a sniping position right here. Those fuckers are exposed to us. They'll have nowhere else to run."

"Sounds good to me" he said, taking cover behind a car and extending his bipod as I set up next to him.

"Take the first shot and focus on the big guys. I'll deal with the small fry."

"Copy."

Barnes steadied his rifle and squeezed off his SRS-99. The round impacted the Brute closest to us in the side of the heart, sending a sizable chunk of his flesh out of his body and covering the Jackal next to him in his blood. Before the Kig-Yar could react, I sent a round into his neck. The xeno fell to the ground, grasping at his neck as he bled out. We unleashed a salvo of lead into the attackers, felling them one by one, only pausing to reload. Barnes sniped the last Brute, exploding his head with a colorful display of flesh.

"Gamma 2, cease fire. All hostiles eliminated."

"Jake, that you?" Pulowski said as we arrived at their makeshift position.

"Nah, just some another 7 foot supersoldier. You guys all right?"

"Not exactly sir. Martinez took a hit from a Carbine. He's stable, but I think he's out of the fight."

"Shit," murmered Barnes as he ran towards his fellow ODST. I followed suit.

The grenadier was leaning against one of the pillars, cluching his arm in pain.

"Hey, sorry sir. Didn't mean to get shot. I don't think I'll be able to carry on like this."

"That's fine, Martinez. You did what you could. We'll get you to a FOB and you'll get some R&R, how 'bout that?"

"Sounds good LT." he said with a dry cough.

"Don't sweat it helljumper. You'll be back in the fight in no time, trust me." I added with a light pat on the arm.

"Thanks Spartan. Don't feel so bad now."

"I want Pulowski to take over as grenadier. That alright with you?" I asked

"'Course," he said with a nod.

"Gotcha. Pulowski! Come over here." I yelled.

"What's up sir?" he asked.

"I'm assigning you as squad grenadier."

"Copy that sir."

"Here kid," Martinez said as he took of his grenade bandolier and handed his M319 to the Marine.

"Uh, thanks," he replied sheepishly. "So Jake, got a plan?"

"Yep. Marines! Form up on me!"

The Marines (plus Kor) quickly formed a semi-circle around me. Despite being only a few minutes yet drop, their previously uniforms were now dirty from the fight, covered in dust and dirt. I supposed I was the worst offender, with half my body covered in Jiralhanae bodily fluids.

"Alright, listen up. Information has been spotty at best since the Covenant invaded. We're going to find the nearest FOB and see what the fuck is actually going on over here, and try to get our buddy Martinez some help. We're going to take our time and walk down the backstreets in two formations, one on each side of the road. Space out about 5 meters from the man in front of you. I don't want half my squad dying to a single grenade. Everyone got it?"

A series of murmured yeses and nods told me all we needed to as Jenn automatically pointed out the closest Forward Operating Base on my TACPAD. It looked to be inside the Louvre. It made sense, the Louvre could be condensed into a relatively small area to guard, was underground, and also provided access to a decent portion of the city in it's entirety. I once heard that it would take more than a lifetime to see every piece of art, even if you only looked at them for a few seconds each.

Moving out, I decided the best course of action would be to travel on foot. Being only about 4 kilometers away, we could run to it and make it there in about 20 minutes, counting on the slower Marines. But the Champs Elysees would be prime ambush territory, so I decided to take the relatively less traveled roads. It would be longer, but ultimately safer.

About 50 minutes later, we arrived at the North entrance. A rather sizable Army roadblock greeted us, sanbagged into a small entrance that only a person or two could fit through. A mounted AIE-486H Minigun and the M68 ALIM Gauss Cannon flanked either said, with around 10 Marines standing on guard anxiously.

"Friendlies coming through!" I hollered over to them as we made our way over to the checkpoint. Startled, they raised their rifles at the all of us, then started yelling in French as they saw Kor, focusing their aim on him.

"Easy now! He's with us. Don't shoot! _Ne tirez pas!_ " It took them a few seconds, but they wearily lowered their rifles and allowed us to pass inside the courtyard.

"Since when do you speak French?" Jenn asked quizically.

"In the program, we all had to learn a variety of languages. One of those was French."

"We should speak sometime. I haven't had a good partner to talk about in in...well ever really. It's my one of my favorite language."

"Sure, I'd like that. I haven't been able to practice it much either, so be warned it might be a bit rusty." I said with a grin. However, that smile soon faded as I saw the remains of Earth's cultural center.

The Louvre's famous glass pyramid had been shattered, leaving only a fraction of it's frame still standing. The smoldering remains of a Phantom was crashed into one of the walls of the palace, and one of the towers had been destroyed. Bullet holes and plasma burns marred what was left.

Jenn sighed. "You know, I always wanted to visit here. I hope they got the artwork out."

"Me too. If we make it out of this, we can go once they rebuild. They always have."

"Thanks Jake. That means a lot to me."

"I know it would. It'd mean a lot to me too."

I saw two Marines wave over to us, presumably indicating where the entrance to the command center was. With the main entrance destroyed, we went through one of the entrances located in the palace. The sight that greeted us as we walked down the stairs was by no means reassuring.


	19. Chapter 18

Refugees clogged the main hallway that led to what had been a food court. Marines and Army troops hurried around, the vast majority in battle rattle that had recently been used in a fight. Just before we went down, I asked Kor to stay upstairs with Nakamura and Bryant. I was glad I had made that decision, I imagined most troops here would have shot Kor on sight.

"Jesus," muttered Barnes. "Haven't seen something like this since...Paris IV."

A ragged mother tending to her crying child looked up at me, and I saw her strained eyes soften just a little. A glimmer of hope. "It'll be fine, my child," she whispered. "They will protect us." I took off my helmet and flashed the kid a soft smile. She stopped crying and looked up as her mother caressed her hair. I took out my ration pack and pulled out a small bar of chocolate. " _Ici,"_ I said as I handed her the bar. She hesitated for a moment, then gingerly took thar bar, unwrapped it, and ate it. A wide smile brightened her face. I wondered when the last time she had something to eat was, let alone chocolate. "What do you say to the nice man, Ysabelle?" " _Merci monsieur!"_ she replied emphatically. I gave her hair a quick tussle and repacked my ration pack before getting up. I thought back to Danielle before with a bit of regret. How I would have given my life to save her if it were possible. I would give my life to protect these people and their dreams. But then I thought about my own dreams. I had reason to live for other than to protect more people. Would I really give myself as easily as I would have before I met Jenn? I felt selfish, but part of me couldn't help but feel like I had the right to love, at least after my life before. I sighed as I put my helmet back on.

As I walked away, a squad of 6 ODSTs looked at me increduously. My relationship with Barnes had almost made me forget that most Helljumpers regarded us Spartans as demons, inhuman machines bred for war. To see one take off their helmet let alone act compassionately towards another human would have been quite a shock for them. As I passed by them, I gave them a nod as a sort of olive branch, acknowledging that this was probably a first for them. I heard them talking when they thought I was out of ear shot.

"Holy shit, did I just see that?" said one.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Hell I still don't believe it. And that nod? It was like he knew." said one of the other ODSTs. She was an attractive female, who judging by her MJOLNIR Mk. VI Recon helmet, was some sort of attache. Probably ONI.

"Never thought I would have seen that again..." said a gruff voice. I assumed this was either the trooper with the Spartan Laser or the Rocket Launcher.

I wondered what reaction Barnes would have to say seeing his fellow ODSTs, but he didn't say anything, and I din't bother to check back if he waved either. The fact that there were Helljumpers on station usually meant dire straits, so he may not have been so happy.

Making my way through the commotion, I finally found somewhere that didn't seem to be busy. He was a militiaman, armed only with the older MA37 rifle, a standard issue CH252 helmet without the communications suite, and a chest rig. The only indication that he was part of any organized military unit was his simple fatigues: an olive drab jumpsuit.

"Didn't think we'd see Spartans here. I just was glad a couple of ODSTs dropped by, but now this..." he said with a thick French accent.

"I'm looking for the commander of this unit. And the infirmary. One of my guys is badly wounded."

"Yeah, I've seen worse..." as he veered his head to get a good look at Martinez. "But I've also seen better. In 100 meters or so, there'll be a fork, take a left there, and then take another left. The commander of our 'unit' will be at the right, same intersection."

"Thanks," I said as I yanked my head, indicating for the rest of my men to follow me.

After reaching the second fork and parting ways with Martinez, we approached a room that seemed familiar to me, although I couldn't quite pick it out. It was long and rectangular, with a single large wall randomly put up in the middle. A makeshift command area had been set up, the folding tables and chairs contrasting the high-tech monitoring equipment. Near the wall, there was a small holotank that displayed tactical and strategic information of the defence of the city, and around it, what I assumed was the CO judging by the rank of Major on his uniform.

"I know this room," voiced Jenn over our private network, "This is where the Mona Lisa was on display. Among other things...Bastards." The last word said with a virululence I hadn't seen before.

"We'll make 'em pay," I said as I walked over to the Major. I got a better look at him as I got closer to him. He looked very much like a 26th Centruy DeGaulle, with typical Frankish feautures, albeit missing the trademark mustache. With it, he would have made for a very impressive reproduction of France's previous savior in a movie or so.

"Sierra-114 reporting for duty, sir!" I said as I gave him a crisp salute. I thought the formality of such a display would probably be lost on him given the situation, but it cost me no harm in doing so.

" _Quoi?_ " he asked as he turned to meet me. The nametape on his uniform read "LeBlanc". His eyes widened. "A Spartan? Here?! Thank God! It seems the Army listened to my requests..." He extended his hand. "Major Michel Leblanc. 2nd Armored Divsion. I was on leave when the invasion began. It seems I am the highest ranking person here, _malheureusement_."

I de-polarized the glass on my helmet. I found that a human face generally made people more agreeable to you. "Petty Officer First Class Jacob-114. NAVSPECWAR, on loan to ONI." I clasped his hand and give a single, firm handshake. I had learned somewhere that's what the French prefer. His eyes narrowed when I said I was with ONI, albeit in the loosest sense of the word. "Ah, you must be with the woman and her Helljumpers." _I knew she was a spook_ , I said to myself.

"Actually, sir, we haven't been given any notice on who's in the area. We haven't been given any actionable intel at all, really."

He chuckled softly. "Got to love it, eh? 'First to go, last to know'. I will bring her here; she may be able to help you. I'd give you a mission, but it sounds like ONI has special plans for you my friend." He gestured for an aide to come over, whispered something in his ear, and like that he was off.

"2nd Armored. That's 'Hell on Wheels' isn't it sir?" I asked.

He smiled. "It seems you know your history well, Petty Officer. Yes, it's history goes back to the Second World War, in the American army. They fought in France, as you may know. I have family that can trace it's lineage back to those days, in my army. The French army, I mean."

"It wouldn't surprise me if I did as well, sir. I was born in Pennsylvania, part of what was the United States at that time."

"It seems once again your kind has returned, although it's not just France that needs help this time."

"Afraid not sir," was all I could reply.

As I finished, the squad of 6 ODSTs entered the briefing room. I heard a muffled "Aw, shit" from one of them as they filed in around the holotank. This probably wasn't the first chickenshit op with a Spartan they had been on.

"Do what do we owe the pleasure, sir?" asked the woman, with more than a hint of sarcasm and a sigh.

"This is Spartan-114. He and his men will be your ONI liason, as I am aware," said Leblanc.

"Nice to meet you," I said. "Who are you, might I ask?"

"I'm Dare. Veronica Dare, but you can call me Captain Dare or sir. ONI Section One, unit designation Alpha Nine."

"Well, looks like she's not messing around," I heard Jenn say.

She gestured from left to right, "Here we have Private First Class Crespo, Lance Corporals Dunn and Agu, Corporal Miles, and this is Gunnery Sergeant Buck." The last was the only one to give me any sort of acknowledgment, and even then all I got was a nod.

"Probably just wanted to know our names so it would make writing the AAR easier if we die." I heard Agu mumble. The man next to him, Dunn, nodded in agreement. I was guessing he was more of the silent type. Regardless, I ignored their exchange. It seemed none of this group was particularly fond of me.

"So Spartan, what's the plan?" she asked with a distinct sound of annoyance in her voice.

"I'm not sure, sir. I was hoping you could fill me and my men in. Captain Osman didn't give me much intel." I let slip her name as a test, I would see how high up she was, and if she wasn't; maybe she would back off a little.

"O-Osman?" was all she could stammer out, before recomposing herself and taking out a flash drive from her kit. I guessed she was more on the low side of the totem pole.

"Sir, may I make a request?" I asked before she inserted the drive.

"By all means Spartan, what is it?" responded the Major.

"Can I transmit this briefing to some of my men? They're up on the surface of here."

"Of course, but why are they up there, might I ask?"

"Well, sir, it's that one of them is an Elite, and I'd prefer not to start an incident."

He simply nodded, whereas Dare stared at me in shock.

"You've allied with a _Sangheili?_ " she asked in disbelief.

"Yes sir, and you can _interview_ him once this op is over."

Seeing that she wasn't getting her way, she crossed her arms in aggravation. "Fine. Let's just get this briefing over with."

I took the AI chip out of my helmet and plugged it into the console. "It's all yours."

"An AI too? This just keeps on getting better and better." She sighed "Whatever. Anyways, we've been getting seismic reports of activity underground." The holotank turned into an map of the surface of Paris as well as part of it's underground, highliting red blips of movement. "We believe that the Covenenat is in the old Catacomb system. They're looking for...something." The way she stressed the last word and the look she gave me told me all I needed to know about what was unsaid. Forerunner. "We need to get a look down there and see for ourselves what's going on. My ODSTs and I are gearing up to head down there now. You can tag along too, if you want."

"Respectfully sir, but I think that a squad will be too much down there with the confined space. Generally, I'd prefer to work alone being the infiltration specialist of the program, but this is your turf. I think a two-man team would be most effective."

She paused for a moment, no doubt weighing her options. On the one hand, she probably wanted to be down there with people she knew. A lot of ODSTs flat out distrusted Spartans like me. However, a two man team would be much more discreet and would be able to move much more freely in the tunnels. Apparently seeing the logic in my plan, she hesistantly agreed. I removed Jenn from the holotank and had her set a course for the closest entrance to the Catacombs, and shared it with Captain Dare. Before heading out, I pulled Barnes aside.

"Well, looks like I'm off. Guess you're in charge of the unit _sir_ ," I said playfully.

"Yeah, yeah asshole. Have fun doing spook shit while we do whatever this French guy wants us to do."

"Oh I'm going to have a blast with Cinderella over here. Ours is but to do and die or something like that. Just stay safe man."

"You too buddy. See you soon."

"Come on Spartan! I'd like to get this over with, if you don't mind," said the Captain.

"Doody calls," I said as I made my way over to her as she donned her Recon helmet.

"Hey Barnes?"

"Yo."

"Make sure nobody shoots Kor."

He laughed. "Wilco. Now get the fuck outta here."

For most of the trip to the catacombs, Dare and I refrained from speaking to each other, only to confirm we were covering each other when darting across streets and alleys. Finally, taking a turn from a small road into an even tinier alleyway, we arrived at the entrance. Reminding me of something out of something out of Greek mythology, a small marble entrance that led directly down into the belly of the city. Above it was a simple wooden sign reading "Paris Catacombs", with a couple of painted on skulls. A plain metal gate with a padlock barred it from public access. Dare took off her pack and began reaching for something when I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Negative sir, I've got this" I said as I made my way towards the gate. I gave it a swift kick, crushing the padlock into a thousand pieces and sending the two sides of the gate flying into the darkness.

"With respect, I'd like to take point." I said as I activated my VISR. No doubt she was doing the same. "I know full well how capable you ODSTs are, it's just my armor can take more punishment. Is that alright?"

"Fine," she said without emotion as she followed me into the now highlighted cavern. It wasn't long before we started seeing bones. Soon, they stretched as far as the eye could see. I was no stranger to death, but something about it unnerved me.

"The catacombs have never fully been explored," piped in Jenn over our private chat. She must have sensed my concern. "But, I'll keep track of our path, as well as what's already been discovered. We'll be fine, Jake."

A let out a small sigh of relief. "Thanks, hun. I appreciate it. Makes me feel a lot better."

"No problem, Jake. I'm here for you."

"I know. I just wonder how long we're gonna be down here for. I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

"Maybe you should ask the cheery Captain then?"

"Yeah, you're probably right." We had been in the catacombs for quite some time at this point.

"Captain? How long are we going to be down here for, if I might ask?"

"Either until we run into a Covenant patrol or we reach one of the hotspots outlined on the map, which would be at most an hour at this pace. That answer your question?"

"Yes sir." Her hostility seeped into every word. Her lack of professionalism was getting to me. I had been treated by shit by a higher-up once before this week, and I sure as shit wasn't feeling like going through it again.

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"Granted. What's the problem?"

"You don't have to be so harsh on me. I get there's a lot of bad blood between Spartans and ODSTs, but I'm just trying to do my job here, same as you. And for the record, sir, I asked your names earlier because I wanted to know who I'm fighting with. I actually care about that stuff."

She took a few seconds to reply, probably surprised I had overheard her conversation earlier.

"Alright, I apologize for acting how I have. It's just, my time working with Spartans before was never pleasant at all. It's like you were all machines, just like the stereotypes. But I guess you're different though, you're not like they were."

"How so?"

"Well, it's just, well, I don't know. Different."

"Different in that I have personality? That I seem human?"

She didn't respond, but her silence told me all I needed to know.

"How much do you know about the program, Captain?"

"Enough."

"Well, first of all, the brainwashing never truly worked on me. There were a few others like me, that never truly broke, but they were much more...vocal. Rebellious. I always pretended to be broken like the others. I believed that those that stood out the most would be the most expendable. Sure enough, Grey Team gets handed the most dangerous missions. I don't even think they're alive anymore, honestly. But...do you at least understand now? You can't blame us for not being normal. It wasn't our choice."

She sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right. I'm sorry. With all the shit you've been through, it's not right to judge. ODSTs should know best. We've all seen some shit too, and it effects us all in different ways. We all have our coping mechanisms. Honestly I don't know if I'd be able to pull through all the shit they did to you, and that's just what I know of."

"Don't feel bad, sir. I don't regret it. Being a Spartan allowed me to survive shit that would have killed a normal person. If I hadn't been in the program, I probably would have been lying face-down in some shithole a long time ago, just another nameless draftee. Besides, everything's in the past now. Nothing you can do about it now."

Just as I finished my sentence, a blip on my radar appeared. Red for enemy, coming just around the corner that lay just ten feet ahead of us. I instantly put my hand up for her to stop.

"Contact, around this corner. Looks like one foot mobile."

"Shit," she muttered as she took the safety off her suppressed BR55HB battle rifle.

"I'm going to round the corner and engage on the count of three, got it? I'll take high, and you take low."

She sent me an affirmative click on the comms network.

"Alright, one, two, three!" I said as I leaned from the corner, with my rifle. I was a milisecond from pulling the trigger when I saw a familiar flash of green, and felt the barrel of my rifle touch something solid and metallic.


End file.
